The First Wish (Jeanie & Genie #1)

K-Gr 3--Jeanie Bell is a straitlaced girl who loves going to school, following the rules, and spending recess reading quietly under a tree, while talkative new student Willow Davis likes to wear sparkly outfits, and has a big secret. Despite their differences, the second graders bond over their shared sense of humor. Observant Jeanie notices that strange things happen when Willow is around, like the weather suddenly turning from rain to snow to sun. The story's culmination--ostensibly the reveal that Willow is a genie in training--is actually the leap of faith Willow takes when sharing her secret with Jeannie, who accepts her with open arms, sealing their relationship into best friends status. In Follow Your Art, the girls' class is exploring the arts; after a field trip to the art museum and working hard to create their own masterpieces, Jeanie and Willow get a chance to curate the class art show. Earnest budding artist Leo Chang offers Jeanie and Willow some creative insights about the project, but when he muses aloud that he wishes his art could come to life, Willow accidently grants it! The mix-up quickly becomes a crisis when the entire art show explodes into a chaotic reality. Willow's rendering of a ballerina starts pirouetting out of control, Jeanie's pointillist dog painting runs amok, and Leo's fluid motion horse mobile starts cantering around the school gym. The girls keep their cool and use a clever magical aid just in the nick of time to save the school from being overrun by the vitality of students' artistic visions. Jeanie and her family are depicted as Latinx, while Willow and her mother are depicted as white. The comprehensive illustrations on nearly every page will help readers starting off with chapter books gain confidence. Give to fans of Daisy Meadow's "Rainbow Magic" series. VERDICT Emerging readers who like some magic mixed into contemporary realistic friendship fiction will enjoy this series.--Tara Kehoe, Charlotte Mecklenburg Lib., Charlotte, NC