A modern-day fairy tale about a time-traveling heroine told with heart and humor.
A piano with magical properties opens up new worlds to a 9-year-old girl in this debut middle-grade fantasy.
A surprise awaits Laurel and her parents when they move into their new Lakeland, Florida, home. Tucked away in a storage shed behind the house is an antique piano. The instrument is promptly promised to Laurel as an early present for her 10th birthday. Initially, she’s less than thrilled with the development. After all, accepting the gift means her parents will likely pressure her into continuing piano lessons—a chore Laurel thought she’d left behind in North Carolina. But when an impromptu concert throws the neighborhood into chaos, Laurel discovers that the piano is enchanted. Along with a talking cat, Tatanka, and her ferret, Houdini, Laurel uses the instrument to transport herself across time and space, including into magical realms. She learns about the piano’s history through her travels and connects with Daff, a fast-talking fairy. But as Laurel learns more about the piano’s past, she’s also exposed to the dangers posed by the extraordinary instrument. Can she use magic to right past wrongs? Or will the piano’s powers fall into the hands of evil forces? The story is told in four parts. Early in the book, Sedona introduces readers to the German woodcutter who crafted the piano in 1888 and to a 20th-century magician who previously used the instrument in his act. But it’s not until Laurel arrives on the scene that the story truly begins to take shape, and oh, what a tale. Laurel, imaginative and independent, embarks on action-packed adventures. Sedona’s writing style will especially appeal to younger readers: puns abound, several characters speak in rhyme, and the tale offers plenty of shenanigans. In one memorable passage, Houdini escapes from his cage during a road trip and climbs up the pant leg of Laurel’s father. “Dad slammed the car in park, jumped out, and pulled his jeans off in the redbrick driveway,” Sedona writes. “Mothers were holding their children close for safety as Dad stood in the driveway, wearing just his boxer shorts, which read ‘Where the Sun Don’t Shine.’ ”
A modern-day fairy tale about a time-traveling heroine told with heart and humor.Pub Date: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63338-513-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: Fulton Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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