Operation Tenley

The Fair City Files #1

by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Meet Tenley Tylwyth, an Elemental Teen born with the power to produce weather. Cool? Not really. Elementals make Mother Nature angry. And who can blame her? Humans have been destroying her planet long enough. It's time she got rid of them all together. Tenley, and those like her, are the only things standing in her way-and they don't even know it. It's a Fair One's job to keep Elemental Teens safe. These ancestors of fairies have created a perfect plan to keep kids like Tenley out of harm's way- from afar. But when rookie Fair One, Pennie, allows her charge to use elemental powers once too often, she's forced to travel to Earth-a place where no Fair One wants to go-to save her. Now, Pennie has forty-eight hours to convince Tenley to stop manipulating the weather. But it won't be so easy. Tenley's got away with wind and has no plans to stop using it. But then a field trip provides the perfect opportunity for Mother Nature. She catapults Tenley deep into her gardens, where trees grow upside down and insects attack on command. For Tenley, things get real, fast. And suddenly, knowing she's got a few Elemental powers up her sleeve might be just what Tenley needs to survive . . . even if it kills her.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade

280 pages, ebook

First published September 13, 2016

About the author

Jennifer Gooch Hummer is the award-winning and best-selling author of Veridian Sterling Fakes it, Girl Unmoored, and Operation Tenley.

Jennifer has worked as a script analyst for various talent agencies and major film studios in Los Angeles. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three daughters.

GIRL UNMOORED has been awarded:
Maine Literary Awards, YA Fiction 2013
Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2012, YA Fiction Adult Themes.
Reader Views Kids Award Winner, Best Teen/YA Book of the Year, 2012
Reader Views Winner, Best Teen/YA Fiction 2012
Foreword Book of The Year Finalist, YA Fiction 2012
Indie Excellence Awards 2012, Winner Cross-Genre Fiction
Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2012, Winner YA Fiction
USA Book Awards, Finalist Best New Book 2012
USA Book Awards, Finalist Best Cross-over Fiction, 2012
Paris Book Festival Awards 2012, Winner YA Fiction
San Francisco Book Festival Awards 2012, Winner Teenage Fiction.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2012, Finalist Chick Lit Fiction
International Book Awards 2012, Finalist Best New Book
International Book Awards 2012, Finalist YA Fiction
Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2012, Best Cover Art

Please visit her at: http://jennifergoochhummer.com/
And her book blog at:
http://allstorygirl.wordpress.com/

Reviews

[Jael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.

In the world of Operation Tenley, we have a group of beings called Fair Ones who monitors and looks after humans who are born with special powers to manipulate the Elements. Their main duty is to protect these humans from being discovered by Mother Nature, who is intent of destroying the human race. The story revolves mainly around the eponymous Tenley Tylwyth, an over-the-top obnoxious 13 year old girl who discovered her Elemental abilities before she reached 18 years old, a situation which will normally necessitate said human to be "erased" for his/her own good, and her overly protective Fair One, Pennie's attempts to save her from annhilation. What makes this book stand out from the usual run-of-the-mill teen fantasy novel is the back story telling us how the system came to be in place, though it was not expanded upon much in this first book. Depending on how the author handles it, it has the potential to be either great or terrible.

I have no complaints about the Hummer's writing. Not excellent, but it delivers the story without causing any frustrations along the way, which is good. I love how she excellently deals out small bits of information along the way and avoids heavy information dumping, though that does mean we spend a small amount of time flailing around wondering what in the world things like a 3rdi is.

The characters are really the highlight of the book. We don't know much about the history of the characters and we don't really know what made them who they are today. However, we do know what their motivations are and why they act the way they do now. Every character has a life of his/her own and they are extremely divergent from one another in terms of how they think and act. They grew constantly through the book, not in leaps in bounds but in baby steps that are completely believable. And by "they", I mean FIVE characters. Five unique individuals got developed in a 200 page book. That's a huge accomplishment.

Overall, this is a fun read that is the book equivalent of a short, beginner-level roller coster ride. Recommended for children under 12 years old.

Plot: 3.5 stars
World building: 3 stars
Character development: 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars

[Kathy Osborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operation Tenley is a cross between fantasies meeting technology in this delightful story of fairies.

The fairies no longer have wings, but now have propellers and are called the Fair Ones. They watch over humans who have special powers that control the Elements as Mother Nature wants those powers since the humans are destroying Earth.

Tenley is a human with the element power of wind and discovered how to use this power during her childhood. Pennie is the Fair One who is protecting her, but didn't report that she came into her powers early, which she gets in trouble for not reporting.

Laraby (Fair One) helps Pennie with his knowledge of the Fair Ones laws and ends up in the adventure with Pennie and Tenley.

All the characters seem to learn from their journey and grow throughout the story as they face Mother Nature and the Original Eights of the Fair Ones.

No spoilers as this is a story with a lot of action packed into it and will keep you on your toes.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Can be read as a standalone
Characters: Delightful and developed
Heat: N/A as suitable for under 12 yrs old

4 Koala Paws

[Madison Chaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got to read the galley of this book... wow!! Can't wait for the Fair City Files #2. This was my favorite read of the summer. Not to be missed, full of wit and charm and imagination. Operation Tenley is unlike anything I've ever read--a refreshing fantasy series in a world gone "Twilight". ;) Hummer is the J.K. Rowling of fairies!!!

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pennie is a Fair One with a difficult job, she needs to keep an eye on Tenley, a girl on Earth with elemental powers. Tenley can control weather. Pennie is a rookie, she hasn't got much experience with watching Elemental Teens yet and she makes the mistake to let Tenley use her powers too much without reporting this. Mother Nature is against elementals and the Fair Ones have come up with a destiny for them that will keep them out of her claws, it's more humane, but still terrible. This is what threatens to happen to Tenley and Pennie wants to prevent it from taking place.

There are sanctions because Pennie hasn't reported Tenley's weather controlling and as a result Pennie and Tenley might both lose everything. Pennie does what she can to change their fates. She's even willing to travel to Earth, which isn't something Fair Ones like to do. Earth is a difficult place for them to be. When Pennie arrives her problems have only just started. Will she be able to save her future and Tenley's life?

Operation Tenley is a fun and original story. I loved Jennifer Gooch Hummer's creative world building. She put a lot of thought into the foundation of her story and that shows. The Fair Ones are descendants of fairies and they have certain tasks. Some of them watch humans with elemental powers. I liked that idea and the execution is great. Pennie is strong and resilient and fortunately she isn't all alone. When she's being sent to Earth her life becomes much more exciting all of a sudden and she only has a very short time to complete her mission. This results into a fast-paced and gripping story.

Pennie is a caring and sweet girl. Her gentle nature gets her in trouble, but she also proves to be capable and resourceful. Tenley is superficial and she does anything for a little bit of fame. She's still young and there is plenty she still has to learn. She isn't supposed to use her powers, but has no idea of the consequences. Her character is a bit annoying in a funny way. Her actions often made me laugh. I liked the interaction between the two, especially because some of Tenley's behavior is completely unexpected and I always love to be surprised.

Jennifer Gooch Hummer's writing style flows easily. I like her sense of humor and she has created a unique world for her story. I love it when I get the chance to see such a great piece of someone's imagination. Operation Tenley is fabulously strange. It's the first book in a series and I can't wait to read more.

[Dgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It's the story of some kids who have weather powers, Mother Nature who wants to kill them, and the fairies (called Fair Ones) who have to protect them. It's funny too. Tenley Tylwyth and Gavron are my favorite characters. I hope there is a book 2 soon! :)

[Jennifer Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

In Operation Tenley, we meet Pennie, a descendant of Fairies…also known as a Fair One. As a Fair One it is her duty to look out for Tenley, a human with the ability to control the wind...she's sort of like a guardian angel, but she's kind of been slacking at her duties and failing to report her charge's use of her Elemental Power. The problem is that Tenley isn’t supposed to be using her Elemental Power and every time she uses it, she risks making Mother Nature very, very angry…we’re talking earthquake and tornado-level angry. When Pennie’s bosses get wind (no pun intended) of Tenley’s inappropriate use of her powers, they send Pennie to Earth to convince Tenley to sign an agreement not to use her power or else she would be “erased” and Pennie banished from her home. But things don’t quite go as planned leading to some very crazy situations and lessons in trust and friendship for both Pennie and Tenley.

I seriously do not know how Pennie did it. She must have really loved Tenley because I would have given up long before the deadline was up. Truthfully, Tenley was very hard to like. She was determined to win a contest called “America’s Next Most Inspirational Teen” through her nail art and online videos. But she was a self-absorbed, walking disaster. But I guess Pennie truly did love her since she was willing to go to Earth to save her and had been monitoring her since she was born. Perhaps in those 13 years Pennie saw something I didn’t and hopefully Tenley finally saw the light and changed her ways after everything was said and done (don’t want to spoil anything so I am not going to mention what happened, but it was major).

I did love Pennie though. She was a sweetheart with the patience of a saint and I would have loved to have known more about her background and family. She had a good heart and I loved her interactions with all of the other characters. She was really a cheerleader for everyone and helped boost the confidence of whoever she was speaking to, which was nice. Even her fellow Fair One, Laraby and his human charge, Holden, aren’t immune to her kindness by the end of the story. It was interesting how she and Tenley were almost complete opposites and how they interacted with each other and other people. It was a little weird how Tenley and her mom just welcomed Pennie into their home though, no questions asked, I do have to say that.

The whole story and concept was really interesting and not something I had read before. I really liked the idea of a guardian-Fair One looking over you and the whole world that the author built for the Fair Ones fascinated me what with robes, tool belts with magic tools, propellers instead of wings, holograms, magic, and more. It was an interesting mix of technology and fantasy.

Operation Tenley was an interesting story with memorable characters and a fascinating plot that I enjoyed reading.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenley is an elemental teen. Her power is wind and the use of her power puts her at risk with Mother Nature. There’s a battle going on between the elementals and Mother Nature. She wants their powers and the Fair Ones, descendants of fairies, have been assigned clients aka the elementals to protect. Pennie is Tenley’s Fair One. She is caring and sweet and overlooked the use of Tenley’s power putting her in harms way. Because of this Pennie is sent to Earth and given 48 hours to convince Tenley to give up her powers. If she doesn’t, Mother Nature will take her or she will be erased by Pennie’s superiors.

From the moment this book arrived I was intrigued. I had no idea just how much I would enjoy it. I was surprised by the characters, the story, and just how awesome it would be. It’s filled with magic, fairies, and technology. Like I mentioned the characters were pretty great. Pennie is thoughtful, considerate, and proved very determined to save her client. I connected with her and found myself cheering her on at every turn. Tenley however was the opposite for me. She was exactly what you would expect a self absorbed teen to be… annoying. Yet she was humorous and by the end I grew to like her. Holden and Laraby were strong male characters. They were both outgoing in their quests to help the Pennie and Tenley. It was neat to see them all learn and grown throughout the book.

Operation Tenley was fun, entertaining, gripping, and quick. I almost wish it would have been longer to really let me fall even more in love with the characters. I needed just a little more to make me sing its high praises, but it definitely is a unique book that I’ll suggest to anyone looking for a great middle-grade read! I hope there will be another book in this series because I’d love to share this with kids some day!

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda cute story but with a few storytelling bumps that middle-graders with most likely speed through.

[Holly Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: My actual rating is 3.5 stars, but I always round up on sites that do not allow half-stars.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book from the moment I heard about it. The idea of there being a parallel world of fairies that protects rare Elemental humans from nasty old Mother Nature is just cool! Right? There are so many things about this book that are clever and adorable. I will say that, for me, it read a bit younger than I had expected - I’d call it “upper MG / lower YA,” if there is such a thing. But it was a good read and I would definitely recommend it for your tween and early teen readers.

In this book, the author envisions a kind of parallel world that houses the Fair Ones, descendants of those tiny little things we think of as fairies. Only, due to the (unexplained and unsolved) absence of the Superintendent of Earth for the past 32,506+ days, the emergency stores of Universal Source Energy (USE) had been depleted and all manner of things had gone haywire. Among other things, fairies began to lose their wings, and the Fair Ones had to turn to - gasp! - TECHNOLOGY. So, now they keep an eye on their charges using tools like the 3rd-i (get it?!) and they get around using propellers. Needless to say, with the Superintendent gone and the Fair Ones somewhat hobbled, Mother Nature, angry at how humans have been systematically destroying Planet Earth, has been getting more bold in her revenge, sending all kinds of natural disasters to bedevil them. And she’s doubled down on her efforts to find the Elemental teens being protected by the Fair Ones.

When it comes to light that Fair One PENN 1, or Pennie, knows that her charge, Tenley, has been aware of her powers over wind since she was a *baby*, the higher-ups in charge in Fair City give Pennie 48 hours to convince Tenley to voluntarily give up her elemental power. Gee, wonder how that’s gonna go with a teenager?? From here the story takes off and we are immersed in the fantastical world the author has created. There is so much to like in this fun story, and I would highly recommend it for readers who enjoy light-hearted and humorous fantasy, stories about fairies, and fantasies set in our modern world. I had great fun reading this one, and I hope you do too!

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

Note: I received an e-ARC of this book for purposes of an honest review for the blog tour.

[Reader Views · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Evan (age 14) for Reader Views (11/2016)

“Operation Tenley” by Jennifer Gooch Hummer is about Pennie and her human charge, Tenley Tylwyth. Tenley Tylwyth was born an elemental with the extraordinary ability to control the weather. Unfortunately, people who manipulate the weather are not particularly popular with the very real, very scary, Mother Nature. Pennie is a Fair One, a descendant of fairies who rely on technology instead of wings, and it is her job to protect Tenley against the wrath of Mother Nature. However, when it is discovered that Pennie failed to report the full extent of Tenley’s abilities she is given a mere 48 hours in which to convince Tenley to delete her powers. Read and discover all of the unexpected problems that Pennie will encounter on Earth- the most formidable of which is gravity!

My favorite character was Laraby, a Fair One obsessed with knowing all of the many rules that affect the Fair Ones. His expertise came in handy in many instances during Pennie and Tenley’s journey, foiling the many attempts to sabotage Pennie’s quest. This book took a very interesting approach to Mother Nature; instead of an idea, Mother Nature was an actual creature that played an important role in the plot. This made the book very original and interesting to read.

I would recommend “Operation Tenley” by Jennifer Gooch Hummer to people who like magic and adventure. The characters were all fun though at some points they acted in strange ways that made them unbelievable and hard to relate. I found the plot could be hard to follow at some points, especially the conclusion, but found it to be unique, engaging, and an overall enjoyable read. I give this book a 4-star rating!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pennie One is not exactly a faaiy godmother, in fact she is technically not even a fairy. She is a Fair One, a descendant of the fairies of yesteryear. Her job is to keep an eye on a human child born with elemental powers up until her 18th birthday. More specifically, her job is to watch and see that this child does not discover her not-so-human powers before her 18th birthday. And Pennie One has not done her job to the best of her ability. That means there will be consequences.

Tenley Tylwyth wants to not only be a typical American teenager, but to be famous and noticed and an INSPIRATIONAL American teenager with influence. She wants this so badly that she doesn't see the consequences of her self absorbed actions. May I mention Tenley's mother is well meaning but clueless? She is the type of mom any teen would love as she never says 'no' to Tenley.

This is the first of a new series aimed at the kids old enough to begin thinking cartoons are too childish for them, but they still want to action and far fetched tales they grew up with. They like magic and paranormal and can relate to mean girls at school, and struggling to fit in.

Set in different worlds, this is a tale of good vs evil, of cool technology and gadjets, of young infatuation and wanting to find ones place in the world.

I did receive an advance copy for review purposes.

[Holly's Little Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quirky, quick read perfect for middle grade readers who enjoy a story a bit different from the norm. Honestly, I've never read anything quite like Operation Tenley which was refreshing. It was a great mixture of a "fairy" story, a bit of fun technology, and, of course, a most influential teen competition!
There were parts of this book that had me laughing out loud, especially some of the earlier scenes with poor Pennie, the fairy trying to fix everything. But aside from all of the fun technology, amusing situations, and interesting characters, there's a story about a girl finding out what's truly important. Tenley must come to grips with who she wants to be, what it will take to get there, and how she wants to be perceived, while her fairy, Pennie attempts to keep anything worse from happening to either one of them.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and quirky book. The story was unique and cute. The writing was okay. I finished it quickly. I might read the others in the series. It was clean and I could let my girls both read it, which is refreshing these days. I thought the author could have expanded more in some details. Sometimes I thought the story was rushed. The characters were fun but more development could have happened. All in all, it was a good book and I liked it.

[Tatum H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. give it a read xx