Blueberry Pancakes Forever

Starred review from November 1, 2016
The third book in the Finding Serendipity series finds Tuesday McGillycuddy back in the fictional world of Vivienne Small, but this time Tuesday's adversary is a jealous character of her mother's own imagination.Tuesday and her mother, Sarah (aka Serendipity Smith, the world-famous author of the Vivienne Small series), are struggling with depression, brought on by the death a year earlier of Denis McGillycuddy, husband of Sarah and father of Tuesday. Within the world of Vivienne Small, Serendipity's depression has both caused an earthquake and continual winter and unleashed Loddon--a character imagined by the child Serendipity. Loddon, jealous of Vivienne, captures her and forces her to summon Serendipity, but it is Tuesday who arrives by mistake. What follows is both an adventure story as Tuesday fights for her life (with Baxterr, the winged dog, and Tuesday's godmother, Colette Baden-Baden, searching for her) and a story of healing as Serendipity faces fears begotten in a lonely childhood. Writing duo Banks (adult authors Heather Rose and Danielle Wood) weaves these narratives together with admirable skill and compassion, bringing a sophistication to this story of the writing life, including wonderful writing metaphors, such as "Other [staircases] stopped...short...as if you were simply meant to jump." While the themes of depression and emotional healing may pass over some readers, others will doubtless feel seen and validated. Lewis' spot illustrations show the human characters as white. Richly complex and nourishing. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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December 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Following the death of her husband, well-known writer Serendipity Smith has been seriously depressed. Her daughter and budding fellow author, Tuesday, isn't doing much better, leaving the house in disarray with dishes unwashed and no food in the refrigerator. Because of this, Serendipity's famous character, Vivienne Small, now lives in a neglected, frozen world in the universe where all stories exist. Loddon, a cruel, needy character made of grass and written by Serendipity when she was young, mysteriously appears in Vivienne's world. Mistaking young Tuesday for her mother, Loddon harshly summons her to his side to tell him endless tales in which he is the hero. Hungry, weak, and hidden away in the earth under a tree, Tuesday could write a scenario that would save her from her predicament, but she is creatively stuck. Meanwhile, others are desperately searching for her: Baxterr, her faithful winged dog; her nonwriting caretaker, Colette, who illegally enters the storybook world; Vivienne; and Serendipity, who knows she shouldn't interrupt Tuesday's creative flow but whose motherly instinct takes over. The adventurous intrigue pitting Loddon against Tuesday and Vivienne makes for a compelling thriller. On the other hand, the ambitious writing device regarding a world where the main character is both the heroine and writer of her own narrative may be confusing for some readers. VERDICT Entertaining and suspenseful if not always logical. For large middle grade fantasy collections.-Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

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