Happily For Now (2021)

Fiona wants to fix people's problems--but what if she's the one who needs help? Kelly Jones, author of Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, delivers a funny, take-charge heroine kids will love.

Fiona may have problems, but she's no damsel in distress. She'd rather be the one wielding the wand in the story: she wants to be the fairy godperson. So when her mom sends her off to stay with relatives in a place called Cold Hope for the summer, Fiona decides it's time to start training for the role. And wow, do these people need help! Aunt Becky's bakery is failing, Great-uncle Timothy draws but never speaks, and Great-Aunt Alta is the gloomiest, doomiest woman she's ever met. But helping people in the real world isn't as easy as it sounds in fairy tales. Change is messy. What if she's actually making things worse? Still, with practice (and some deep breaths), Fiona will discover that sometimes messy is okay. Sometimes things do get worse before they get better. And sometimes trying to help fix other people's problems can help you work on your own...

“The boppy and lighthearted tone keeps it from veering into overly sentimental. Gentle and expressive black-and-white illustrations add emotion and texture to the novel.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Jones believably depicts Fiona as the child of an addict, with a blend of knowledge and naivete that keeps her from seeming precocious or sentimental. The book’s lower-stakes conflicts—a baking competition, Great-uncle Tim’s hidden art—are treated with as much gravity as the bigger issues, making for an emotionally satisfying read.”—The Horn Book

Happily For Now is a Junior Library Guild Selection.