The Miniature World of Marvin and James

March 24, 2014
Broach and Murphy bring back James and his beetle best friend, Marvinâpreviously seen in 2008's acclaimed Masterpieceâin this first book in the Masterpiece Adventures series of chapter books. Their cross-species friendship is just right for a younger crowd, and so are the insecurities and frustrations Marvin is feeling as James prepares to go on a trip to the beach without him (âMarvin does not want to help James pack. But at least it is something they can do together"). James leaves in the first chapter and doesn't return until the fifth and final one; while he's away, Marvin goes exploring with his cousin Elaine, a journey that takes a genuinely harrowing turn when they get stuck in Mr. Pompaday's mechanical pencil sharpener. Murphy's pen-and-ink illustrations shift from glee to horror as she shows the bug-eyed beetles cannonballing into the soft pit of pencil shavings, only to have their escape route plugged by a pencil. Despite the simplicity of Broach's pared-down sentences, the story brims with both emotion and moments of quiet wisdom. Ages 6â9.

January 15, 2014
The boy-and-beetle friendship first introduced in Broach's charming novel Masterpiece (2010) is now the cornerstone of an illustrated chapter-book series. James is a boy, and Marvin is a beetle, but with the help of Marvin's drawing skills, they find a way to communicate. James' mom worries that her son's best friend is an insect, but tiny Marvin has the opposite worry--that James will find human friends who supplant him. When James takes off on a beach vacation, Marvin frets even more, but he manages to have a few adventures of his own, like getting trapped inside Mr. Pompaday's electric pencil sharpener with his beetle cousin Elaine. At first it's entertaining to frolic among the shavings, but when an unanticipated pencil clogs the exit hole, there's big trouble. Murphy clearly revels in the Borrowers-style perspective of the beetles' miniature world: In their under-sink home, Marvin's drawing table is a die, and a propped-up birthday-cake candle dwarfs the family. The dramatic, blow-by-blow pencil-sharpener incident dominates the story, but it circles back to friendship. James really did miss Marvin after all, and a souvenir seashell (the perfect beetle hideout!) seals the deal. This winsome series debut is both a sweet story of cross-species friendship and a sobering new way to look at pencil sharpeners. (Fantasy. 6-8)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 1-4-In a companion to the acclaimed Masterpiece (Holt, 2008), best friends James (a boy) and Marvin (a beetle) are separated for a week while James goes on vacation. Marvin has to make do with his irritating cousin, Elaine. Their hijinks are highlighted in this charming and humorous chapter book series opener about friendship and adventure.

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