The Tragical Tale of Birdie Bloom

January 15, 2019
Here's a book about orphans that will make people feel guilty for reading it.In one of the most meta twists of all time, this story is narrated by the actual book, as in: "It is a pleasure to meet you. Truly. Life as a book is not as easy as one might think." Readers will feel even worse than usual if they spill their drinks on the footnote-festooned pages or dog-ear the corners. But the story has plenty of other meta touches. All the orphans have read stories about orphans and expect to come to a tragic end. In fact, it's required by law. They're forced to sign Tragical Oaths, such as, "When faced with a fatal threat, I will not fight back or retreat under any circumstances." Every character in the novel is, by definition, cartoonish. (The witches even have purple or slime-green hair.) Even book-loving orphan Birdie is a bit cartoonish. Under those circumstances, it's difficult for a character to be outrageous or over-the-top, but the narrator achieves it simply by talking nonstop, even when it interrupts the story. Many readers will find this distracting, and they may skip pages to get back to the characters' exploits. The cover art suggests that Birdie is white, and the book adheres to the white default.This book may feel postmodern, but at its heart, there's an old-fashioned, gripping adventure story. It's a shame that it's so difficult to find it. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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March 1, 2019

Gr 3-5-In this light fantasy debut, Birdie Bloom, a young resident of Foulweather's Home for the Tragical, unknowingly begins a correspondence with a bored witch and dramatically changes her life and the lives of the people around her. In Wanderly, Chancellor-approved stories describe what one's life can be; for a Tragical, there aren't any good possibilities. Even the witch Agnes Prunella Crunch is restricted to the spells contained in The Book of Evil Deeds. Agnes, who is more grumpy than scary, finds nothing satisfying in this book so she writes a letter which the Winds of Wanderly decide to take to Birdie's isolated home, where Birdie and the other children are learning important Tragical skills. This story has dragons, large insects, and discussions of eating a child, but the worst that happens to the child is that the rubber on his sneakers melts. The majority of the characters are well rounded and experience growth as the story progresses. Most of the witches are described as "ugly."(Agnes is "saggy" and "squishy" and not at all fond of glitter.) The story can be overly cute at times, especially in the extensive footnotes, but young readers may find this more entertaining than annoying. VERDICT Recommended for filling out fantasy collections with a light, not-too-scary offering.-Judy Poyer, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 Birdie Bloom is a Tragical?under the watchful, wicked eye of Mistress Octavia, she's grown up with a group of orphans who have always known they're destined for bitterly unhappy, short existences. Agnes Prunella Crunch is a wicked witch who's in the middle of a slump. Birdie and Agnes are from different worlds, but when some magical winds turn them into unlikely pen pals, an unlikely partnership is struck (It's not a friendship! At best, Agnes says, they're BFFs?barely foul foes). Birdie, fiercely optimistic despite her circumstances, is determined to overcome her Tragical destiny, while Agnes, a curmudgeon with a marshmallow center, makes a wonderful foil. More charming and darkly funny than truly scary or sad, this debut has definite shades of Roald Dahl?it's a natural successor to Matilda and The Witches. Middle-grade readers who like their fairy tales playing against the rules and their adventure stories with a dash of humor will gobble this up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

March 25, 2019
Donohue (How to Eat a Cupcake) spins first-rate women’s fiction in this imaginative and lyrically told tale about how the most unlikely of people become family. The story begins with a lavish engagement party and immediately swings back a few decades to the childhood of the intended bride. Merrow Shawe is growing up poor in Northern California with her widowed father and cruel brother when her father brings home an orphan named Amir, the adopted son of his late wife’s close friend. When Merrow is 10, her father also dies, leaving Merrow and Amir at the mercy of Merrow’s older brother, Bear. Their only consolation comes from Rei, a Japanese former professor hired to tutor them, who fills their heads with magical tales of lands far away, and from their habit of popping into unoccupied homes to dream about how others live. One of those visits changes Merrow’s life forever: a dog bites her; she meets a woman, Rosalie Langford, who becomes her protector; and Merrow falls in love with Rosalie’s son. After tragedy separates Amir and Merrow, seemingly forever, Merrow continues down a new path that ends with a betrayal and a surprise. Donohue’s careful plotting and richly drawn characters will keep readers enthralled right up to an unexpected ending that’s likely to be polarizing. Merrow’s life story is worth reading even for those who’d prefer it took her another way. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group.