Overview

Waiting for Guffman meets Parks and Recreation for middle grade readers, in this one-of-a-kind illustrated novel from Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka, where a wasp sting grants Peachaloo a useful new superpower. Two very large things have just happened to Peachaloo Piccolozampa. First, she's discovered a plot to ruin her favorite swimming hole and replace it with a golf course. Second, a wasp sting has given her the superpower to understand the truth behind what people say. Peachaloo knows a golf course is not the destiny for the grounds of the Ajax Mansion, a former monastery whose jump-roping denizens proclaimed it freely open to all. But the mansion's new owner has other ideas--and has managed to bury the evidence of the Brothers and Sisters' wishes. Now it's up to Peachaloo to use her superpower to prove this villain a liar, star in the annual pageant, and somehow get her town back the way it's supposed to be. Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka proves as deft with pen as paintbrush in this sizzlingly witty tale of Extraordinary Wasp Perception, oyster-slinging bank robbers, and a community standing strong against the forces of greed and real estate. Illustrations sprinkled throughout paint a small town entirely unique and yet all too familiar to readers across the U.S. Readers of all ages won't want to miss the next train to the big-hearted, peculiar, one-of-a-kind town of Fourwords. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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Reviews

Raschka's prose is charming, written in a rural deadpan reminiscent of KateDiCamillo, and the accompanying drawings are comical and oddball, like many of the novel's eccentric characters. --The New York Times Raschka draws on his inner teen and grown-up as well as his inner child for this wry tale. . . . The strength of small-town stories like this is nearly always in the cast, and here the author ropes in a lively one. . . . Still, it's Peachaloo . . . who really owns this beguiling story. . . . Fourwords' small-town characters and character come alive in the frequent black-and-white sketches. --Booklist (starred review) Rambling omniscient narration from an observant, good-humored townsperson imparts a cozy atmosphere. . . .Loose blackline illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Raschka depict the eclectic small-town cast with fluid forms. --Publishers Weekly Humor joins clever dialogue and an engaging plot that will sweep readers away to a whirlwind ending. . . . Eccentricity abounds in this fantastical underdog tale of natural and historical preservation. --Kirkus Reviews Raschka has created a wonderland of the whimsical and weird, with specific and eccentric tertiary characters, a preening and completely unredeemed villain, and a town rich with history and tradition, all bolstered by his signature twisted-but-lovely, pen-and-ink illustrations. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books A rollicking, digressive, and (unsurprisingly given Raschka's work as an illustrator) highly visually descriptive novel. --The Horn Book Raschka's engaging story will win readers' hearts with its humorous, adventure-filled tale. . . .An enjoyable addition for upper elementary and middle school collections as an alternative to ""Diary of a Wimpy Kid"" and ""Captain Underpants."" --School Library Journal

Author Information

Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Medal-winning and Hans Christian Andersen Award-nominated author and illustrator of dozens of books for young readers, including A Ball for Daisy, Yo! Yes?, The Hello, Goodbye Window (written by Norton Juster) and Nothing: John Cage and 4'33"" (written by Nicholas Day). He is also a violist. He lives in New York City.

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