Starred Review Feiffer came to artistic maturity in the 1970s, an era when works for young readers took on deep, uncomfortable emotions with rambunctious storytelling and humor that might give many contemporary young readers a disorienting shock. It's with that energy that he presents the story of siblings Shirley, Pearlie, and Curly, who find themselves lost in a surreal dimension filled with Alice in Wonderland like creatures as menacing as they are absurd. Separated, but willing to go with the loopy flow, the siblings find the solution to their geographic and emotional issues in their mother, who is ever-pining for something lost long ago. The story is delivered with such breathless wackiness you could almost miss the permeating fear of abandonment and betrayal, but in Feiffer's world here, nothing is safe t your father or mother, your brother, sister, or children, your home, your hair, your other half, your identity, nor even your face. Feiffer exemplifies this with jangling linework, creating a world and characters whose very existence vibrates between frenetic childlike energy and fraying, out-of-control anxiety, right down to the word balloons and the letters inside them. The density of wordplay, as well as the narrative drive toward an adult's realization of their own responsibilities, could make this a challenge for the target audience, but it's a challenge worth taking ere's nothing out there quite like it.

A traumatized family heals most of its cracks as it bumbles from Meanyopolis to TruphoriaIt's been more than six decades since Feiffer illustrated Norton Juster'sThe Phantom Tollbooth, but he's still sending young people into metaphorical fantasy realms to meet quirky residents and bumble along on personal quests toward self-actualization. Here, the horrifying prospect of getting a new dad, home, and siblings propels quarrelsome Pearlie and contrary little brother Curly into the Lost Dimension of Ephemera. They're followed by older sister Shirley with her hunky but dimwitted fiance, Earl, and finally their indecisive mom, who sings the titular song ("I cried, I sighed, / alone, I'd moan, / 'twas grapes / that set me free"). Mommy, in a protracted search for her true identity, becomes the real protagonist. Or at least, by the end, she sends her children on their ways and evinces the most change among the characters. Accompanied by a dog/cat named Kelly and a wildly mutable monster representing doubt (or something like it), various members of the clan encounter locals, from the Feary ("rhymes with scary") Queen to an attacking troupe of dapper, dancing, deadly Elegantics. The story culminates in a wedding and a last reprise of the theme song. In the art dialogue balloons, bright colors and scribbly lines feature more prominently than the human figures, who are posed with balletic grace. Main characters present white.Imaginative and dazzlingly theatrical at the end, though on the long and wandering side.(Graphic fantasy. 11-16)

Gr 5–8— For those who enjoy fantasy graphic novels rich in metaphor and allegory, this one fits the bill. The adventure begins when Mommy announces her remarriage and an immediate move for her three children: Shirley, Pearlie, and Curly. Facing this unwelcome change, argumentative Pearlie and contrary Curly are whisked away by a two-headed swan to the Lost Dimension of Ephemera. They are quickly followed by Mommy and Shirley, who aim to help them complete a strange, confusing mission. Initially, Mommy is disconnected from reality, always dreaming of elsewhere. Upon arriving in the new dimension and recalling the magic song "Amazing Grapes," she realizes she has found her true home. Along the way, the family encounters the changeable blue monster Muckety Muck, the perpetually lost guide cat/dog Kelly, and the simultaneously evil and kind Feary Queen, who all help and hinder them at various times. This wacky yet deep story explores themes of identity, home, and betrayal. In one heartbreaking scene, Curly's mom no longer recognizes him without his signature curls. The art, in Feiffer's classic style, uses bright colors and scribbly lines to capture feelings and movement more than details. VERDICT Despite the temptation to skip certain longer sections, readers will find the imagination and creativity throughout make this a worthwhile addition to any library.— Amy Ribakove