The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker by E.D. Baker
Grade: C-
Release date: October 7, 2014
This e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Cory is a young tooth fairy in training who wants to be anything but that, except there's no way the Tooth Fairy Guild or her mother will let that happen. After yet another bad night on the job, Cory quits to explore other things—like babysitting an adventurous Humpty Dumpty, helping Suzy organize seashells by the seashore, and attempting to finally rid the spiders that plague Marjorie Muffet. But it isn't until Marjorie asks Cory to help set her up with a boy that Cory taps into a power she never knew she had. As she tries to understand her new-found romantic visions, will Cory finally discover her own true path?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Like I've said before, middle grade has been very hit-or-miss for me lately. Unfortunately, The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker was not one of the better ones I've read. Throughout the whole book, I felt very confused. There wasn't enough world-building - just many, many characters introduced - and the plot was much too slow for MG. It's mentioned in the synopsis that Cory takes up matchmaking, but that plot doesn't appear until at least 60% in. Most middle schoolers I know would give up if the plot took that long to develop. Also, throughout the entire book, I was very confused about the characters' ages. They talk a lot about dating and a school that sounds vaguely like high school, but most protagonists in MG are 11-13.
Other stray observations, the sentences were a bit choppy. Voices weren't unique. I did like Cory's grandfather, and I wish we saw more with him. I also enjoyed seeing familiar nursery rhyme and fairytale characters. Plus, the Boogie Man actually boogies.
The Verdict: Not at all what I hoped it would be. If you're unsure about The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker, I'd skip it if I were you.
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