Jen Calonita - Fairy Godmother and Tinker Bell

Meet Our Contributor:

Dr. Melanie Hundley is a Professor in the Practice of English Education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College; her research examines how AI, digital and multimodal composition informs the development of pre-service teachers’ writing pedagogy.  Additionally, she explores the use of AI, digital and social media in young adult literature.  She teaches writing methods courses that focus on AI, digital and multimodal composition and young adult literature courses that explore diversity, culture, and storytelling in young adult texts. She teaches AI and literacy courses including AI and Storytelling. Her current research focus has three strands: AI in writing, AI in Teacher Education, and Verse Novels in Young Adult Literature She is currently the Coordinator of the Secondary Education English Education program in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.

Jen Calonita - Fairy Godmother and Tinker Bell

Storytelling is one of our oldest and most magical arts.  Stories help us make sense of the world; they help us connect across generations, learn empathy, entertain each other, and share culture.  We hear “once upon a time” or “there once was a” or “a long time ago” and something in us settles in for story time.  There is a long literary history of fairy tale and myth retellings that make old stories new again, making them relevant for new generations.  Retellings of myths, fairy tales, and classic tales from literature or movies offers a rich landscape for creativity and cultural dialogue.  Authors ask, “What if…” and imagine a new life for characters that we know well from old stories. Retellings allow new generations of storytellers to reinterpret and reimagine these stories, to personalize them, to make them relevant for new audiences. 

​Retelling myths and classic stories connects us to our past, preserving cultural heritage and continuity. These stories are shared cultural touchstones, and by retelling them, we keep them alive. This helps us understand the values, fears, and aspirations of those who came before us. Expanding on these stories in new formats or updated retellings keeps these connections fresh, showing how universal themes—like love, betrayal, heroism, and sacrifice—are still relevant today.

​Many traditional tales include outdated or problematic themes, particularly regarding gender, race, and power dynamics. Retelling these stories allows us to critique, reinterpret, and update them, aligning the narratives with current values and perspectives. For example, reimagining “Beauty and the Beast” as a story about empathy and mutual respect, or Shakespeare’s works as explorations of modern political themes, allows new generations to connect with the stories in a way that aligns with contemporary values.

Jen Calonita

Jen Calonita, one of my favorite middle grade and young adult authors, is currently reimagining some of my favorite childhood Disney movies.  Fairy Godmother asks, How does one become a fairy godmother?  How did Cinderella’s fairy godmother become a fairy godmother?  Her newest novel, Tinker Bell, considers Tinker Bell’s backstory.  Who was she before The Lost Boys? Retellings offer a blend of the familiar and the unexpected, which can be both comforting and intriguing for audiences—Jen’s retellings of these stories draw our attention to characters who were not the main characters in the Disney movies.

Mentor Text

The National Writing Project defines mentor texts “ pieces of literature that you…can return to and reread for many different purposes. They are texts to be studied and imitated… Mentor texts help students to take risks and be different writers tomorrow than they are today. It helps them to try out new strategies and formats.” Jen Calonita’s novels serve as a master class in the art and craft of writing. 

Fairy Godmother

​One of the particular strengths of Jen’s writing is her skill at descriptive hooks that pull the reader into the story.  Her opening for Fairy Godmother, for example, does a deep dive into the blue dress that Cinderella wore at the ball BUT what it does well is provide insight into Renee, our new main character.

Consider the opening:
 
Well, she’d done one thing right. Blue, it was clear, was the girl’s color.

To call the gown blue, however, was doing it a disservice. The color was more a cross between azure and cyan.  Brighter than a clear summer day, the tone was practically luminescent, the exact shade of the girl’s eyes, which, Renee thought, getting misty, were the same shade as her mother’s.  In fact, it was Ella’s mother’s gown she’d transformed that night.  Was she watching this all from somewhere in the universe? (Fairy Godmother, Calonita, p. 1)

Notice the mix of sentences, the description of blue, and the rich vocabulary in the passage.  There is so much that the students can use as a mentor for their writing. While the description focuses on the beautiful blue dress that we all remember from the movie, we gain insight into Renee.  We see her connection to Ella, to Ella’s mother, and to her role as fairy godmother.  

What Students Can Do

​After Vanderbilt’s 2024 win against Alabama, Marissa and Elizabeth (two students) used the opening as a mentor text and created the following piece of writing:

To call the team’s jerseys black, however, was doing them a disservice. The color was more a cross between ebony and sable.  Glossier and deeper than a starless summer night, the tone was practically pitch, the exact shade of charcoal, which, the Commodores thought, eyes glinting with determination, stood in stark contrast to the losing Crimson Tide. In fact, it was this team that finally anchored down that night. What did they think when the odds finally turned in our favor?

We learn more about Renee through her actions.   We see her humor and playfulness: “Renée was never beneath putting a leaf under her nose to make a mustache, dancing in the river (when it wasn’t moving this fast), or singing loud off-key. Anything to keep the two of them laughing. It was her favorite sound in the world.” This can serve as an example of characterization implied by characters’ actions.  Or we can look at how she uses dialogue to further a relationship between characters.   

​“‘I like mysteries,’ he says as a new song began to play. ‘They remind me of peeling onions. Something new in every layer.’
 
‘Or a bruised apple,’ she offered. ‘Sometimes the fruit underneath is unexpectedly crisp.” 

​This can serve as a model for students who are trying to write dialogue that shows something about the characters. We learn a great deal about Renee, Cinderella’s fairy godmother, and her backstory throughout the novel.  

Tinker Bell

The novel, Tinker Bell, opens with a deep dive into Tinker Bell as a character:

Tinker Bell had never been fond of the word NO.

            Or can’t.
            Or impossible.
           
They were useless sentiments, really. They certainly never served Tinker Bell well. Not when she was creating a (revolutionary) pixie dust replenishment system. Now when she was fixing a rain collector. Not lately, as Tink explored Never Land, searching for wonders, uncovering secrets. To Tink, impossible was just a problem to be solved. So, whenever the fairy encountered a block, Tinker Bell found a way to fly around it. (Tinker Bell, Calonita, p. 1)

The character description provides insight into a beloved character.  We see her as a rebel and an inventor.  She becomes more than the small fairy who flies around the Lost Boys.  We see her strength and determination, but we also see her…attitude.

​Tinker Bell introduces us to her best friend, Ash by describing him in terms of contrasts:

Ash was both Tink’s fiercest ally and greatest adversary. Her fairy confidant, conscience, and the only one she trusted to pick debris out of her wings.  He drove her mad with his hovering.  Sometimes he flew so close, Tink couldn’t tell if the sound of flapping was her wings or his. (Tinker Bell, Calonita, p. 7)

​The language of this passage tells us a great deal about Ash and Tink’s relationship with him.  It is also a good mentor text for students.  As a writing teacher, I would use it as a dependent authorship text:

Prompt

​​Describe a person you care deeply about, an artist that you follow, or a character that you really like using the following template:

Name of the Main Person/Artist/Character: 

__________ was both __________ (person with whom main character has a relationship with) __________ (adjective) __________ (noun) and __________ (adjective) __________ (noun). Her __________ (noun), __________ (noun), and the only one __________ (person with whom main character has a relationship with) trusted to __________ (clause).  __________ (pronoun) drove __________ (pronoun) mad with ________ (pronoun).  Sometimes __________ (pronoun) __________ (phrase), __________ (clause). 

​

Both novels are rich and engaging novels that can serve as mentor texts for writers at any level.  Jen’s writing is powerful and engaging. She takes old stories and shifts our view from the original main character to one of the supporting characters. Retellings offer an opportunity to tell stories from different perspectives, often those of characters who were marginalized or simplified in the original versions. This enriches the story world and can provide a fuller understanding of its characters and themes.  Jen’s novels expand the story world and also provide strong mentor texts for writers.