Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker illustrated by Matthew Cordell

What are people for?

Okay, before I tell you about Leeva at Last, I want you to locate your own book wish list or library shopping list and add this book NOW! Readers aged 9+ will LOVE meeting Leeva and her friends and teachers are also sure to thoroughly enjoy reading this book as a class serial story - not with work sheets - just for the joy of a terrific story with that all important very happy ending. There are 54 short chapters in this book which has 300 pages set in a good size font with a sprinkling of illustrations by Matthew Cordell. Fans of Matilda will love meeting brave Leeva as will readers who enjoyed Flora and Ulysses -The illuminated adventures by Kate DiCamillo.

Leeva Thornblossom has the most despicable parents you will ever meet in a story unless you have met Matilda's parents from the famous book by Roald Dahl and also the parents from The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry but to me these parents seem even worse than all of those. Mayor Thornblossom and her husband Dolton only care about fame (that's the Mayor) and money (that's her dad). Now that Leeva is old enough she has become their slave. She cooks, cleans, mows the lawn and completes money problems for her father who is the town treasurer. These parents are so completely dreadful I can hardly begin to describe them. Here is an example showing how Leeva got her name:

Nurse Blackberry needs Mayor Thornblossom to fill in the birth certificate forms for her new baby. The Mayor has been so demanding.

"She was fed up, ready to snap. And now here she was, holding the birth certificate, asking what the new baby' name was and hearing in reply, 'Don't you know who I am? You do it, nurse!'. Well, Nurse Blackberry snapped. 'Look! The last name is filled in already: Thornblossom! All that's left is ... "first name. Middle name ... leave a space."

"Each time her parents related the story, they cackled in glee. But Leeva knew it wasn't funny. In fact, it was a pitiful thing to have been named so carelessly."

And here is how Leeva makes her own shoes from the packets which contain her father's daily food called Cheezaroni:

"Cheezaroni bore a glancing resemblance to macaroni and cheese, except that the macaroni and the cheese were indistinguishable from each other and they were both indistinguishable from the box, so even when you followed the instructions perfectly, what you ended up with was a flavourless cardboardy mash that smelt powerfully of feet."

"They were her sandals - a fairly new pair. She was proud of these shoes, which she fashioned by molding tinfoil Cheezaroini trays around her feet, then strapping them on with masking tape. In winter, she molded a second Cheezaroni tray over the top of each foot to keep the heat in. The shoes were never comfortable, and the tape left itchy bands around her ankles, but the silvery flash they made when they caught the light was lovely."

More about those parents:

"Now, Reader, Leeva had known her mother and father were liars, of course. According to the stories they told each other at night, lying was pretty much all they did in their jobs ... But it had never occurred to her that they would lie to her, their own daughter."

Her father is greedy and obsessed with making and saving money and her mother is vain, greedy and obsessed with becoming famous.

Luckily, yes there is always a luckily, next door to her house Leeva discovers a library. Harry, nephew of the librarian Mrs Pauline Flowers (yes she is just like Miss Honey) gives Leeva a precious library card and the courage to step away from her parents and all their tortuous rules. Mrs Flowers also gives Leeva perfect books, delicious cookies every day, yummy lunches and later a flask of extra cold milk. Leeva also discovers toast for the first time thanks to the kind librarian.

Things that brighten Leeva's day:

• The daily newspaper - the Nutsmore Weekly and their word of the day. 
• The television soap opera - The Winds of our Tides - this is where Leeva has learnt about 'real life'.
• The program Vim and Vigor at any Age - a television exercise program
• Cookies made by Mrs Flower - chocolate chunk with toasted hazelnuts; Champurradas from Guatemala; and many more from every country in the world
• Wonderful library books such as Charlotte's Web; New Kid; Where the mountain meets the Moon; Bud, not Buddy; Other words for Home; One Crazy Summer; and Because of Winn Dixie.  By the end of her first week she has read 70 books!
• Her new "pet" Bob the badger
• Special friends - Osmund, Fern, Harry and his aunt.

There is a lot of slap-stick humour in this book BUT there are also some precious and tender moments. Leeva has never had a hug. She has never eaten hot toast with butter. She has no idea about gingersnaps. And she can only braid her her into two plaits. No mother or father have ever touched her or her hair, but she longs for a braid like her new friend Fern - a single perfect braid, with every hair in place. 

When her parents finally ban her from leaving the house ever again, Osmund arrives to find out what has happened. One lovely day some weeks ago he gave Leeva a comb - one of the first presents she had ever received.

"He pointed at the comb in Leeva's hand. 'Give it to me.' Leeva hesitated. It would hurt her to return the first thing she'd every owned all to herself. But as last she held it out. Osmund took the comb. He stood up. 'Turn around.' Although Leeva suspected Osmund would run away now, she turned around. She held her breath, waiting to hear his boots clomp out of the park. ... And then she felt him tug the rubber bands from her braids. She felt him unweave her braids and comb out her hair. She felt him divide it into three sections and lay the sections, right-over-centre, left-over-center, .... into a single braid down the middle of her back."

Read these reviews:

Splendid fun. Kirkus

Nobody’s parents are perfect, but Leeva’s are the worst. Even worse than those you might have met in Roald Dahl’s story of that long-suffering girl, Matilda.  Books for Keeps

I marvel at the variety of books written by Sara Pennypacker from the serious survival book Pax, the fun of Clementine and the powerful environmental message of Sparrow Girl.

Pax and Pax: Journey Home

Clementine

Waylon

Sparrow Girl

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeeker family (Dad, Mum, twins Isa and Jessie aged 12, Oliver aged 9, Hyacinth aged 6, Laney aged 4 and their three pets) live in a brownstone on 141st Street Harlem. The family love their apartment home. On the floor above live Miss Josie and Mr Jeet an older couple who have formed a close relationship with the family. On the top floor lives the landlord - Mr Beiderman. He is a reclusive and angry man so the children have to work hard not to make too much noise in certain parts of the building. It is only five days until Christmas and this should be a very happy time of preparations and presents but instead everyone is sad and distressed because Mr Beiderman has told the family he will not renew their lease and they must leave their home by the end of December.

It is time for action. The children meet and make plans. They devise a series of different ways to make Mr Beiderman, or the Beetleman as little Laney calls him, change his mind. 

I loved the problem solving in this story and the team work and the strong sense of community. I also loved the way each of the children have very different personalities and different skills/strengths. Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"The Vanderbeeker kids glanced around at their home, a brownstone in Harlem, New York City. It consisted of the basement; a ground floor with a living room that flowed into an open kitchen, a bathroom, and a laundry room; and a first floor with three bedrooms, a walk-in-closet-turned-bedroom where Oliver lived, and another bathroom, all lined up in a row. ... 'We've lived here most of our lives ... It's the perfect home."

"The kids exhibited an eclectic mix of  physical characteristics and loved comparing which traits they got from what parent. Isa inherited her mother's stick-straight black hair, which Isa always wore in a sleek ponytail or an elegant French braid, while her twin Jessie had Papa's wild, untamable hair, which she never bothered to do anything with. Oliver had Papa's unruly hair but Mama's dark eyes. Hyacinth got Mama's nimble fingers but Papa's large feet. Laney was an exact blend of both of her parents ..."

"So I've been thinking ... that the key to winning the Beiderman over is to play to our strengths."

Hyacinth is crafty, Isa is a musician (violin), Jessie is a scientist, Oliver is a thinker and Laney gives fabulous hugs! Laney is my favourite character and I also want to eat some of the delicious cookies mentioned in the story and the bakery goods from Castleman's Bakery especially those cheese croissants. 

"The kids transferred the remains from the morning's coffeepot into the teapot; then Oliver dumped three generous spoonfuls of sugar into it and Isa added milk. After Jessie stirred it, Isa placed the teapot on the tray and Hyacinth artfully arranged the pastries from Laney's bag. To their knowledge, the Beiderman had never experienced the joy of breakfast in bed, and they were certain that Oliver's excellent idea would win him over."

This plan ends in a disaster - I just exclaimed out loud when the precious teapot tipped off the tray and shattered outside Mr Beiderman's closed door.

I do enjoy books that include maps:

Image Source: Illustrator Jennifer Thermes

I am very late coming to this book as it was published in 2017. I kept seeing this book mentioned in book lists and blog posts but I wondered if it was just too "New York" for an Australian reader. It is not - this is a fabulous book for ANY reader. I read the whole book, 293 pages, in one sitting. An Australian child will have no idea about a brownstone but you can see this architecture on the cover and there are terrific line drawings by the author inside the book too. Oddly Ms Yingling did not enjoy this book. You can read her plot summary and comments here. 

A heartwarming story about family and community that will appeal to readers who also enjoy an old-fashioned feel. Kirkus

This debut novel reads like a joyous, heartwarming Hallmark movie. The conclusion seems inevitable, but the journey will fill listeners' minds with unique pictures of a loving family. School Library Journal audio book review

Here is something fun - a character interview by Karina Yan Glaser with her character Oliver. Here is an audio sample.

Awards:

• - A New York Times Notable Children's Book
• - A Junior Library Guild Selection
• - An American Bookseller's Association Kids' Indie Next List Title
• - A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Children's Fiction Book
• - A Southern Living Best Children's Book
• - A Nerdy Book Club Award Winner
• - A Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalist
• - A Bank Street Children's Book of the Year Selection

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street was a debut novel for Karina Yan Glaser. There are now six books in the series. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street; The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden; The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue; The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found; The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish; and The Vanderbeekers on the Road.

The Vanderbeekers reminded me of the Hazel Green book series by Odo Hirsch and also View from the 32nd Floor which is a book I often think about and wish with all my heart had a better cover!

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat and Mo Willems

Hold on! There are THREE cookies ... but FOUR of us. 

And so a discussion ensues - how can the friends resolve this problem? While the friends are talking hippo picks up a cookie. He breaks all the cookies in half. Now there are six pieces of cookies - but this doesn't solve anything. 

"This is not fair. THIS IS NOT EQUAL."

Hippo keeps nervously snapping. The pieces are getting smaller. Wait a minute 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Is the problem solved? Well yes but now there is a new dilemma - three glasses of milk and possibly five friends? 

This is an Elephant and Piggie book. If you have not discovered these I highly recommend you hunt them out - there are sure to be lots in your local public and school library. There are twenty-five books in the original series.

Take another look at the title of this book from the Elephant and Piggie Love Reading series.  How wonderful to hear and later use the word 'fiasco'. I am sure after reading this book in a family fiasco will be adopted into your vocabulary. Take a look at this video to see how the speech bubbles work and how Dan Santat uses facial expressions to great effect. In this review by Betsy Bird she explains in great detail why this book is so much more than a book about fractions and maths.

It’s the fact that all these elements are combined together to make what I can honestly say is one of the best books of the year. Clever,funny, beautiful to look at, and an easy book that is actually easy (not a given), don’t pooh-pooh this one for its popularity. Take a moment instead to savor what Santat’s accomplished here. Elizabeth Bird School Library Journal

Here are some of the other titles from the Elephant and Piggie Like Reading series: