Have you ever wanted your own fairy godmother to lead you to the best spots for family getaways? While FamilyFun Vacation Guide: The Great Lakes can’t wave a magic wand to send you on that trip of a lifetime with no glitches, it’s sure to reduce the headaches involved in vacation planning.

This book is edited by Pamela Hill Nettleton and produced by Disney Enterprises, the same company that puts together FamilyFun Magazine. The magazine’s popularity prompted the creation of family vacation guides to different areas of the country.

The Great Lakes guide covers Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Unfortunately, the areas of Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York that border the lakes aren’t covered. As of this writing, I am aware of FamilyFun guides that include New York and Pennsylvania but not one that covers Indiana.

Before delving into the listings by state, the chapter titled Ready, Set, Go! has advice for every stage of trip planning. A packing checklist and advice on how to budget, decide where to stay and choose the best types of transportation are all included. Tips for travel kits to keep bored kids busy and even advice to smooth over arguments are provided. While this is a short chapter, it’s essential reading for people new to planning family travel as well as those who think they’re old hands at it.

At just over 400 pages and with six states to cover, not every destination can be mentioned. However, the editors did pick some of the most family-friendly places to report on for each state. The listings are rated with stars that indicate the family fun factor and dollar signs that rate affordability. They each range from one to four. The beginning of each state’s chapter lists the key to this rating system. For example, you know exactly what the authors mean by affordable at a restaurant rated with two dollar signs ($5 to $15 in 2003 prices).

There is a must-see listing for each state in their respective chapters for those destinations the authors believe are the hottest spots for families. While some of the other listings are given one star ratings, none of the destinations listed are considered duds by the authors. Those with one star just don’t have the possibility of pleasing every member of the family.

There are two categories for the trips - Cultural Attractions for those things considered more educational including museums and Just for Fun for places like amusement parks. Also mentioned is what age range will most appreciate the destination.

FamilyFun Vacation Guide: The Great Lakes doesn’t cover every stop your family could possibly make in each state. However, if you want a good overview of the most popular family-friendly trips in the Great Lakes region, then you won’t go wrong by having this handy travel guide on hand.