The Bewitching of Alison Allbright

This modern-day fable tells the story of Alison, a girl who has always dreamed of having a fairy godmother to whisk her out of her drab life into a world of elegance and wealth. Alison's wish comes true when she meets Mrs. Considine, a rich and sophisticated older woman who is eager to be her friend. Soon Alison is spending every weekend at Mrs. Considine's luxurious home. There Alison sails, rides and wears clothes that belonged to Mrs. Considine's dead daughter Camilla. Because she looks just like Camilla it is easy for Alison to imagine that she really is Mrs. Considine's daughter, a game that Mrs. Considine also plays. So enchanted is Alison with her new life that she is more than willing to allow Mrs. Considine to obliterate her old self and mold her into the ``real'' Camilla. At first, Alison and Mrs. Considine seem irritatingly one-dimensional; but as the story progresses, readers will realize that more fully fleshed-out characters would be out of place in this starkly surreal world. The strange story of Alison's transformation will linger long in the reader's mind. Ages 10-14. (May)