LitPick Review
The Genie Scheme is about a girl named Janna, who feels like a second-class citizen because she usually can't afford everything she wants. So when she buys a hat for an old lady, Janna has a genie at her beck and call. For Janna soon finds out that if you do an act of kindness for a genie, they will grant you your wishes. Janna is ecstatic when she learns that the only 3 wishes rule isn't true. Knowing this, she wishes for all sorts of stuff, often changing her mind. But the only way the genie (Eugenie) can get Janna things is to take them from somebody else. When Janna finds out, she makes Eugenie un-poof most of her stuff back. But when Albert, Janna's friend, discovers something odd going on, Janna has to explain Eugenie. As the story goes on, Janna soon finds out that having everything you want isn't all fun and games, and especially not satisfying. Also, just because her wishes are unlimited doesn't mean Eugenie's powers are. What can Janna do?
Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book because you can see the story from two different points of view. For instance, sometimes Janna will think, Why is she telling me this now, and not when I needed to know? Is she trying to mess me up when I'm making my wishes? Sometimes, Eugenie will hint-think along the same lines. Did she really think it was necessary to wish for all those things on the catalog? And where is she going to put all of it? I also enjoyed the book because it demonstrates two of life's themes (Getting/having a lot of things don't make you happy and always help people when you can) in such a way that the reader can understand what the author is trying to get across.
