Diary of a Mad Brownie

bibliophile - "I AM NAE A..." Wow... Just by reading this humorous, light hearted adventure... this book made my day. Meet Angus Cairins who is a brownie... I know what all of you guys are thinking... the yummy, delicious, gooey chocolate squared bars... Yup, that's not the one... but while I was reading this book, I was CRAVING for brownies... so I just wanted to give you a little warning... AND NO HE IS NOT AN ELF (so don't say it in front of him, or he'll be offended) Anyways Angus has to clean everything up... that's the whole point of being a brownie... after being sent to the Carhart's household, to serve Alex Carhart because of a curse... Now before I go further about the curse... Meet Alex Carhart, who hates cleaning... Like her room is so messed up, that Angus winced cleaning it up, but of course he got the job done... anyways she has two siblings: one older brother named Bennet and a younger sister named Destiny, who has a friend named Herbert the Goblin. Alex... aka as a living sunset (you got to love the idioms being used :D) freaks out when her room gets cleaned... of course being the ordinary kid, she calls the police... YES, the police... After Angus's cover is blown... Things start to go crazy... seriously CRAZY... Alex's dad quit his job to become a songwriter/singer... and they might starve to death and be homeless... Just kidding... but what's even worse are his lyrics... *shudders* And remember Alex's red haired brother, Bennet??? Well... Bennet decided to quit soccer for good, and stick to writing poetry... and again they are *shudders again* not the best songwriters/poetry writers... Like Bennet wrote, "Sweet Marie, my turtledove. You're my chocolate queen of love. All right. You're right. That's not the point. I want to be your boo tonight..." Yes, there are more worse poems than this one... but I don't want to go in detail... but Angus finally figure it out... that he... he... BROUGHT THE CURSE.... DUN DUN DUNNNNN.... Alex and Angus try to find ways to get rid of the curse... but the Shadow Queen's curse is really strong, so they need to find a permanent solution... where everybody will be safe....But to break the curse, they need to return the Princess of Sunshine to the Shadow Queen... Now what?!?!?! How can they find a princes... more specifically a Princess of Sunshine... in a world where there are more than one realm???? By Herbert the Goblin.... Now I know what you guys are thinking.... WHAT!?!?! Ummm...yeah... technically Herbert the Goblin helped Alex and Angus... After Destiny's teacher, Ms. Kincaid (she may look like thirty years old.. but looks can be deceiving... don't tell anyone.. but she is sixty years old!), told Destiny that Herbert the Goblin in not real, Angus decided to have a "little talk" with her... With a little help from Alex's cat, to get to school, Angus talks to Ms. Kincaid... Now they found out Ms. Kincaid knows something about the Enchanted Realm... more importantly... Ms. Kincaid's grandmother has special connections with the Enchanted Realm... now maybe with a little help from her, they can find the Princess of Sunshine... Well read and find out! I really enjoyed this book A LOT... I am usually to a fantasy reader, I am more of a realistically book reader, but just a mix of fantasy and realism, this book got me hooked! Also there were really good sketched illustrations, letters from teachers to parents, biographies, text messages, agendas, journals, emails, articles, and short tales... this book had a handful... that you can enjoy... Also there were many different perspectives that had a very smooth transition... And the...

April 20, 2015
This diary-style first book in the Enchanted Files series introduces hotheaded brownie Angus Cairns, a tiny elfin creature with a penchant for cleanliness and keeping order. He's also cursed and must serve the youngest eligible female of McGonagall family; his newest master, 11-year-old Alex Carhart, could be his biggest challenge yet. She's a "disorderly, messy, negligent, slapdash, untidy, unfastidious, unsanitary creator of disorder," and Angus is sure that they will never get along. When Angus realizes that his curse has infected the entire household and could cost the Carharts their futuresâAlex's father abruptly quits his job to write (terrible) songsâthe two team up to find a long-lost princess to break the curse. Coville infuses Angus's diary entries (as well as interspersed letters, poems, curses, text messages, etc.) with humor and heart, creating a lovable, altruistic, and slightly grumpy hero in Angus and a determined sidekick in Alex. With magic, mischief, and mayhem to spare, this sweet story of an unlikely friendship ought to delight readers of any age. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

April 15, 2015
A dedicated slob and a neatnik brownie, both with fierce tempers, face off in this much-expanded version of Coville's short story "Clean as a Whistle," published in Oddly Enough (1994). Coming home from school one day, young Alexandra is utterly freaked out to find her formerly chaotic bedroom neat as a pin-the work, it turns out, of her family's ancestral brownie, Angus Cairns, newly arrived from distant Scotland. Along with adding background history, the author recasts the shorter, original tale in a mix of journal entries by both Angus and Alex, interspersed with chat transcripts and other insertions. Coville also saddles the beleaguered brownie with a double curse: not only must Angus tend certain female members of the McGonagall line in each generation, but every male member of the household will at the same time be struck by an uncontrollable need to write bad, bad poetry. So, as Angus and Alex sort through anger issues on the way to a not-too-hard-won detente, they are subjected to such outpourings as "Oh no! I've caught the itch of love, / My ookie wookie turtledove" from her dad and teenage brother. Fortunately for both characters and readers, a way to break both curses lies fortuitously close at hand. Kidby provides engagingly posed pen-and-ink portraits of the various mundane and magical cast members, as well as a particularly demonic-looking cat. A knee-slapper in this or any edition. (Fantasy. 9-11)

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June 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-Angus Cairns is a young brownie at only 150 years old. As a magical being, he is a subject of the Queen of Shadows, who rules the Enchanted Realm. When the old woman to whom Angus is bound passes away, the binding curse from the queen forces Angus to leave his native Scotland to live and serve in an unknown territory-America. Angus's ancestors were obligated by the curse to the McGonagall family until what was taken from the queen is returned. The curse further stipulates that all male McGonagalls will become obsessed with poetry that "shall be like the braying of asses," sure to bring embarrassment and misery. After a harrowing journey, Angus arrives at his new and strange home and finds the girl to whom he is bound, 11-year-old Alex Carhart. Not only is she a messy, disorganized child-the antithesis of brownie behavior-but there is also a brother, a younger sister, and a cat in the house. Reluctantly at first, Angus and Alex come to respect and even believe in each other. Together they break the curse, which has started to have devastating (and very funny) effects on Alex's brother and father, the cursed McGonagall male descendants. The story unfolds through Angus's diary, Alex's journal, and a host of other communiques in the form of letters, text messages, and notes. Each maintains its own cadence and the sense that magical and human worlds are meeting. The result is a humorous, quick-paced, and engaging tale. Human and magical characters are likable with characteristics that readers will recognize. VERDICT This is a fresh and fast tale that is sure to elevate the standing of brownies, goblins, and other magical beings.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2015
Grades 3-5 *Starred Review* Bound by a family curse, Angus the brownie must leave Scotland for America to serve young Alex Carhart, the great-great-great-niece of his recently deceased mistress. After finagling his transatlantic voyage from a selkie, he secretly moves into the Carhart household and begins his dual task of bringing order while occasionally making mischief. Alex discovers his presence and tempers flare on both sides. But when a larger problem threatens the family, they join forces and begin to appreciate each other, before Angus leads Alex, her sister, her brother, and two older companions into the Enchanted Realm in an attempt to end the curse for good. It's not easy to merge such disparate elements as traditional Scottish lore and modern American life, but Coville brings it off with wit, style, and respect. The story moves quickly, energized by Angus' engaging voice and the use of shifting perspectives. Largely made up of the brownie's diary entries, the narrative also includes passages from Alex's journal as well as letters, text messages, news articles, poems, and other documents. Kidby's madcap jacket art and many black-and-white illustrations will draw young readers to the book. The first volume of the Enchanted Files series is smart, amusing, and a lot of fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)