Happily for Now, Kelly Jones
Happily for Now, Kelly Jones
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Happily for Now

Author: Kelly Jones

Narrator: Kyla Garcia

Unabridged: 6 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/04/2021

Synopsis

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...

About The Author

KELLY JONES has been a librarian and a bookseller and is a raiser of (much-loved but fairly ordinary) chickens. She is now a novelist and the author of Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer; its sequel, Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?; a ghost story called Sauerkraut; and the feminist Regency romp Murder, Magic, and What We Wore. You can find her at her website, curiosityjones.net, or on Twitter and Instagram at @curiosityjones.KELLY MURPHY is a New York Times bestselling author-illustrator and recipient of the E. B. White Read Aloud Award. She teaches illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband and their many animal companions. You can find her at KelMurphy.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @yllekyhprum.  

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer on May 16, 2021

I *adored* this book and can't recommend it highly enough. If you're looking for a book that feels like a hug even as it tackles tough issues (parent struggling with addiction, anxiety, grief), this is EXACTLY what you need. This is a story so full of kindness, compassion, and heart - it is a true d......more

Goodreads review by Becky on September 09, 2021

First sentence: THINGS ARE A lot simpler in fairy tales. I mean, when you read about some girl going around covered in ashes who gets treated way worse than her stepsisters, it’s pretty clear somebody should get that girl some help. Then again, who knows what she thought when she woke up every morni......more

Goodreads review by Penny on December 30, 2021

Wow. This hit a bit harder than I thought it would. I loved Fiona's "social workers = fairy godpersons" thinking. I loved that Jones didn't make this an inner-city kid's story, and that everyone was a little bit broken in some way. I loved that not everyone needed fixing, and that Fiona learned that......more

Goodreads review by Beth on December 16, 2022

This was adorable, and I really enjoyed the resonances with Cold Comfort Farm.......more

Goodreads review by Emily on April 02, 2025

My seven-year-olds loved this (just like all of Kelly Jones' books) as a read-aloud. It deals with some heavy issues (addiction, grief, trauma) but it does so in an age-appropriate way, with lots of humor to lighten the story, and ends on an optimistic note. The kids thought it was hilarious. I like......more

Quotes

"Jones delivers a witty play on traditional fairy tales with a healthy dose of emotional maturity. This on-point fairy tale handles its subject matter sensitively as Fiona learns that helping people isn’t as easy as it seems." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"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 naiveté 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

"Jones’s portrayal of a girl shouldering far too much responsibility is sympathetic, and it’s refreshing to find a young heroine whose trusted social services network steers her in exactly the right direction." — Bulletin

Awards

  • Washington State Book Award
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