Poppy Mayberry, the Monday – A review

 

Synopsis:

What if your teacher could read your mind just because she was born on a Thursday? Or the kid next to you in class could turn back the clock just because he was a ‘Wednesday”? In the quirky town of Nova, all of this is normal, but one thing is not—Poppy Mayberry. As an almost-eleven-year-old Monday, she should be able to pass notes in class or brush her dog, Pickle, without lifting a finger. But her Monday telekinesis still has some kinks, and that plate of spaghetti she’s passing may just end up on someone’s head. And if that’s not hard enough, practically perfect Ellie Preston is out to get her, and Principal Wible wants to send her to remedial summer school to work on her powers! It’s enough to make a girl want to disappear…if only she were a Friday.

Book Birthday:  September 13, 2016

Publisher:  Tantrum Books

REVIEW

Ever since I saw this cover, I knew I had to read this book, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I absolutely loved this book!!

It’s about a girl who has “Monday” powers (if you were born Monday through Friday, you have special powers like telekinesis, or the ability to transport or read minds), but she hasn’t quite learned how to develop it. To make matters worse, she has this girl at school, Ellie Preston, that really, really dislikes her, and poor Poppy just can’t seem to get a break when Ellie Preston is around. In fact, their dislike of each other winds them up in the Power Academy, a summer school for kids who need to work on their powers.

Of course, there are issues that arise once Poppy and Ellie get to P.A. and they end up in the middle of a terrifying plot that is sure to undermine their relationship even further.

Or will it?

I’m not going to get into the fun, adventurous, engaging plot, but I will say I really loved Poppy, Ellie, Logan and Sam. They are so real and quirky and so believable. The pace moves beautifully for a middle-grade book. The plot is not too thick and the language is perfect. Some of the visuals had me laughing out loud (think spaghetti), and the style is light and fun, whimsical and adventurous. The scary parts aren’t too scary for the younger readers, and the story wraps up nicely with a warm, fuzzy feeling, but there is a hint of more books to come.

Fans of Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost City series and Pete Catalano’s “Artifacts” will find this book immensely enjoyable. I definitely have it on my list to give to a couple of young readers who are ready to be introduced to the world of magic and fun. I look forward to reading more from this author.

 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.