Mix together an efficient mother who is focused on her career, an inefficient father who's trying to run the house while he still has to work, and a smart-aleck daughter who mouths off about what she wants. What do you get? You get trouble, that's what. Ruthie's mother teaches at college, and she likes to take research trips to study ancient customs in far away places like Peru or Mexico. Another trip came up without notice and, within one week, she packed and left. Ruthie's father, who's an architect, has to juggle managing the house, his job, and Ruthie.

Ruthie's baby-sitter, Miss Miniver, has taken care of Ruthie forever while her parents worked. But this time, she has to back out at the last minute to take care of her own family problems. Ruthie's father hires another baby-sitter for a short time, but it doesn't work out and he eventually fires her. Then into Ruthie's life comes Alice.

Alice is 16 years old, and she's very mysterious. She believes in fairies, and she teaches Ruthie how to build a fairy house in the woods. She sprinkles fairy dust wherever she goes, which she says makes ugly things beautiful. Ruthie can't see the fairy dust, but Alice says that doesn't mean it isn't there. You can't see fairies either, unless you truly believe in them, she points out. But if they build a fairy house pretty enough, the fairies will come.

Ruthie's father is so wrapped up in problems with his job, he has little time to notice what Ruthie and the new babysitter are doing. Ruthie starts sprinkling fairy dust to make things disappear --- like the crystal apple on her teacher's desk. The fairies would like it. Then she and Alice sprinkle fairy dust over the money jar Ruthie's father keeps in his room. He won't miss a coin or two, Alice says, and they are only taking it for the fairies, not for themselves. When Ruthie's father finally discovers something that makes him fire Alice, Ruthie yells at him, telling him she wants Alice back, and that she hates him. She still believes the fairies will come, but she doesn't know how to make that happen unless Alice is there.

Will Ruthie find out the truth about Alice and the fairies? Can her father keep their family together while Ruthie's mother is gone? Read this book about a little girl who gets what she wants and then discovers that maybe she doesn't really want it.

   --- Reviewed by Tamara Penny