Penelope Crumb
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Penelope Crumb would LOVE Ramona Quimby! And might even name her eyebrow "Marge."
Penelope Crumb is no ordinary fourth grader. She carries around a red toolbox that used to belong to her father (who's been dead since Penelope was a baby), she keeps a list for the government chronicling the many ways in which her brother is turning into an alien, she helps her home-schooled neighbor Littie with her many projects--including the construction of a marshmallow helmet--and also, she can draw pretty much anything. So when her best friend Patsy has to draw a picture of Penelope for class, she attributes the big nose Patsy gives her to Patsy's poor art skills. But then Penelope finds out that it's true! She does have a big nose! Just like her Grandpa Felix, who's been gone from her life since before she can remember. What follows is a sweet and funny story--with tons of heart and hijinks-- about Penelope finding her grandpa and using her big nose--and his big nose--to make her family whole again.
Praise for PENELOPE CRUMB
“Fans of Clementine and Ramona will cheer as new friend Penelope finds what she is looking for.”--Kirkus Reviews
“Like such popular fourth-grade narrators as Amber Brown and Lucy Rose, Penelope Crumb has definite ideas and big dreams . . . ultimately, Penelope’s desires to connect with her relatives (even the 14-year-old brother who has changed so much she considers him an alien) bring the Crumb family together in a sweet and satisfying way.”--Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this auspicious series launch, fourth-grader Penelope first learns that she has an oversize nose in art class. When a distraught Penelope shares this information with her mother, Penelope learns that she has the "Crumb nose" like her Grandpa Felix, who Penelope had always believed was "Graveyard Dead" like her father. This revelation, along with a school assignment to create a family coat of arms, sends Penelope on a search for her grandfather. After a few red herrings, Penelope finds Grandpa Felix and uncovers some family history. Stout (the Fiona Finkelstein books) deals with serious topics, such as the hole left in Penelope's life by her father's death, with a light touch, giving Penelope a memorable narrative voice full of quirks. (An aspiring artist, Penelope is "real good at telling what different kinds of faces mean," so she fully recognizes when her mother is giving her "a look that says, We Are Not Going to Talk About This Anymore.") Docampo contributes angular and stylized b&w images of Penelope (and her beaky schnoz) that add to the heroine's considerable personality. Ages 7 10.
