Leeva at Last
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- $4.900
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- $4.900
Publisher Description
A Sunday Times Best Book for Children 2023
A hilarious and heart-warming new adventure from Sara Pennypacker, the best-selling author of Pax, with illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winner Matthew Cordell
Leeva Thornblossom loves to learn: her local newspaper teaches her a new word every day, and soap operas show her the many shades of human expression. And when she comes across the announcement that all children are required to go to school, Leeva sees an opportunity to do something that newspapers and television alone can’t provide: the chance to meet people.
But Leeva’s parents, the insufferable mayor and selfish tax collector of their small town, don’t want to send her to school, and they certainly don’t want her to meet other people. And so, with the help of the town’s librarian and her son, Leeva sets out to finds answers: what have her parents been hiding from her?
With hilarious writing and an unforgettable hero, Leeva at Last is perfect for fans of Matilda, Flora and Ulysses, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
About the author
Sara Pennypacker is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pax; the award-winning Clementine series and its spinoff series, Waylon; and the acclaimed novels Summer of the Gypsy Moths and Here in the Real World. She divides her time between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Florida. You can visit her online at www.sarapennypacker.com.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thoughtful Leeva Thornblossom, who's "somewhere between eight and nine," lives a life of servitude to her dreadful parents. Leeva desires to attend school, but her fame-absorbed mother, the town's mayor, and her money-obsessed father, its treasurer, forbid her from going, an act that proves the last straw. Though Leeva, raised on soap operas and periodical Nutsmore Weekly, is seldom allowed to leave her home, she sets out each day, seeking to answer the question "What are people for?" She first visits the Nutsmore library next door, where a kindly librarian and her nephew introduce the girl to the astonishing worlds of literature, friendship, and freshly baked cookies. When an opportunity to meet more new people arises, Leeva jumps at it, soon encountering hazmat-suit-wearing, risk-averse Osmund and good-natured, familially obligated Fern. Learning that her greedy parents are responsible for many of Nutsmore's financial struggles, Leeva resolves to keep her identity a secret while attempting to set things right. Strongly recalling elements of Roald Dahl's Matilda, this archly narrated satire from Pennypacker (Here in the Real World) slyly integrates potent themes such as fairness, responsibility, and trust. Characters default to white. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary.
