The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic

Starred review from November 1, 2010
Framed as an account written by Professor Barnabas Quill, "Historian of the Island at the Center of Everything," Trafton's debut is a lively adventure about magical pots, pepper, manners, poison-tongued jumping tortoises, poetic soldiers, and downtrodden yet resilient heroine Persimmony Smudge. One night, Persimmony becomes lost in the woods and overhears a plot to dig for gold buried beneath the king's castle at the top of the mountain. Informing bratty 12-year-old King Lucas ("His motto had always been ‘Eat first, think later,' and somehow he usually never managed to get around to the second part"), she learns the gold is actually an enormous belt buckle, and she is sent to investigate the rumor that there's a giant asleep underneath their small island, the mountain rising and falling as he breathes. Gathering proof, she and her friends must convince the island's fractured races that the giant is real before he wakes up and causes widespread devastation. Trafton imbues her tale with a delightful sense of fun and fascinating, well-rounded characters—playful wordsmithing and flowing dialogue make this an excellent choice for bedtime read-aloud. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9–11.

November 15, 2010

The inhabitants of the Island at the Center of Everything are inclined to take things to extremes. The clown-like Rumblebumps lack gravitas; the politically correct Leafeaters, sticklers for etiquette and proper grammar and usage, lack humor. Persimmony Smudge, the basket-maker's daughter, values imagination over everything, and Worvil, the odd creature she befriends, is fixated on the worst that can happen. From his castle on Mount Majestic, King Lucas the Loftier indulges his taste for pepper, oblivious to the workers who slave at the peppermill to feed his craving. The discovery that their island world rests on a sleeping giant who shows signs of waking up throws the island's self-centered residents off balance. Meeting the emergency will require all the ingenuity and interspecies cooperation they can muster. More is less in this unruly fable suffering from a surplus of morals, from "live for today" to "moderation in all things." The surfeit of characters and rambling plot are confusing and cause and effect often unclear. Happily, the debut author's wry wit and flashes of satire mitigate many deficits. (Fantasy. 9-13)

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Starred review from March 1, 2011

Gr 4-7-Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge has a bad day and loses her hat. She finds herself lost as well, survives an encounter with a poison-tongued jumping tortoise, and overhears a conversation between two underground-dwelling Leafeaters, who have total distain for humans. Persimmony travels to tell the king what she's learned and is sent on a mission to discover if the mountain at the center of her island homeland is really a sleeping giant. Once she confirms his existence, she finds herself on an even more urgent mission, this one even more dangerous, to save her homeland by preventing the giant from being awakened by the Leafeaters, who are digging for gold and are about to reach his feet. Trafton creates a unique setting with unusual and detailed characters, including the playful Rumblebumps, the polite but dangerous Leafeaters, and the selfish 13-year-old king who has no regard for his subjects. Persimmony's sense of adventure and determination make her an entertaining heroine. Trafton's message about courage and responsibility is conveyed through her, the exaggerated King Lucas the Loftier, and assorted other characters, but it never overshadows the story. Frequent full-page black-and-white illustrations add to the humor and nonstop action.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Grades 3-6 Persimmony Smudge, 10, is leading a life as dull as her name on the Island at the Center of Everything. But one day she goes out to find another magic pot (having broken the first one) and soon finds herself in the midst of a dangerous adventure. Twelve-year-old King Lucas, who loves pepper, disdains his subjects, and has a talent for rudeness, sends Persimmony, along with Worvil the Worrier and Guafnoggle the Jester, to see if theres really a sleeping giant under Mount Majestic and, if so, to make sure he is absolutely, positively not awakened. First-time novelist Trafton uses delicious descriptions and flight-of-fancy words to put Persimmony on the path of a heros journey, and the story is filled with characters who make an impression. If the book gets a bit long in places, Helquists pencil illustrations (though at times rather sketchlike) neatly break up the text. In this tale, which would lend itself well to reading aloud, Trafton offers a fresh take on a very familiar genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)