Jan is a human who desperately wants a child. Tiki is a peppy, punky fairy who's not particularly good at following rules. The fairy helps Jan have a daughter, but that's only the beginning of the story. Tiki is the best godmother EVER--every year, the daughter gets an incredible magical gift. Even fifteen years later, I still remember some of them. But this extraordinary state of affairs can't continue undetected forever, and Jan and her daughter have to go to war with the fairy kingdom to save Tiki from the repressive Fairy Queen.
This is the book that taught me the word "rebel" and probably began my love of oddly colored hair.