Genuine Sweet

Twelve-year-old Genuine Sweet, of tiny Sass, Georgia, can grant any wish . . . except her own. It's a peculiar predicament, considering how much she could use a few wishes. New friends help Genuine give her family a boost—and then she takes her gift global! Life finally seems to be on the mend. But when she's faced with unexpected trouble that no amount of wishing can fix, Genuine must puzzle out the difference between wishing for a better life and building one.

        Told in the engaging, irresistible voice of Genuine Sweet herself, Faith Harkey’s debut novel spins a remarkable tale of a small-town girl with big-time magic and an even bigger heart.

What happens when the girl with all the magic is the one who needs the most help?

• Middle Grade Magical Realism: Twelve-year-old Genuine can grant wishes by baking magical biscuits, but a wish fetcher’s first rule is that she can never, ever grant her own.
• A Heartwarming Small Town Story: Welcome to Sass, Georgia, a charming southern town full of quirky neighbors, family secrets, and more than a little everyday magic.
• Friendship and Family: With the help of her new city-girl friend, Jura, Genuine must find a way to help her struggling family and learn that some bonds are stronger than any wish.
• Community and Hope: A hopeful tale about how helping others is sometimes the best way to help yourself, and the difference between wishing for a better life and building one.

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"Character and events are well written and intriguing. Genuine’s frustration over the dilemma of being able to help everyone but her own family is well crafted...authentic and unique.” —School Library Journal   "A folksy first-person narration combined with a thought-provoking storyline makes this a good pick for solo enjoyment or book club discussion." —Kirkus   "Harkey has accomplished something great in this book—readers will learn how almost anything can be done with a wish biscuit in hand." —VOYA   "Harkey adroitly and wisely metes out the folksiness, using it to add depth to her characters and create a sense of place so that Gen and her community feel both believable and likable...Give this to readers who want a poignant story that, like its heroine, is genuinely sweet." —Bulletin   "Harkey has created a lively cast of appealing characters, but Genuine's sweet and generous heart is the star of the story." —Booklist