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
Full Product Details
Author: Chris Raschka
Publisher: Holiday House Inc
Imprint: Holiday House Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 14.90cm
, Height: 2.70cm
, Length: 21.70cm
Weight: 0.465kg
ISBN: 9780823458554
ISBN 10: 0823458555
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Recommended Age: From 10 years
Audience:
Children/juvenile
,
Children / Juvenile
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
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
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.
