ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Leeva wants to figure out what people are for. Her mayor mother is certain that people are meant for fame, while her town-treasurer father thinks that wealth is the only point. Ever since they realized that having Leeva would make them neither rich nor famous, the girl has been relegated to servant status. Life is bleak until Leeva sneaks into the building next door and discovers the wonders of a public library and the marvelous humans who keep it running. When her parents prove a threat to the library's well-being, Leeva flees her horrible home to save her town and newly found friends from ruin. If it sounds grim, be assured that Pennypacker tells the story with warmth and whimsy, recalling the tone and charm of Matilda. Though stuck in comically gloomy situations, Leeva is a delight, her eccentric companions are lovable, and the writing sparkles (including possibly the most magical description of toast ever put to paper). A terrifically funny, tender tribute to the power of perseverance, community, and kindness. Final art not seen.

Horn Book (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Lonely, neglected Leeva Thornblossom's greedy parents believe her job is to make them rich and famous. Since this hasn't happened yet, they require Leeva to follow her Employee Manual and perform such duties as washing dishes and cooking the books for the town of Nutsmore, where her mother is mayor and her father is treasurer. Versatile author Pennypacker (Clementine, rev. 1/07; Pax, rev. 3/16) has written a book that is by turns outrageous and wise, funny and touching, fantastical and true; Cordell's sketches contribute to the levity. Although forbidden to leave the Thornblossoms' property, Leeva begins her exploration of the outside world by sneaking to the library next door, where she befriends the kind librarian, Pauline Flowers, and her nephew. Under Mrs. Flowers's direction, Leeva begins reading books to answer her question, "What are people for?" Leeva's social circle and her understanding of the world expand exponentially, and eventually she and her new friends (and a badger) play a role in ridding the town of the adult Thornblossoms and returning all the money they stole. By story's end, Leeva knows exactly what people are for: "Everything that happens is better when someone else shares it with you." Maeve Visser Knoth

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A neglected child asks a poignant and essential question: "What are people for?"Leeva Thornblossom only knows that she's around 8 or 9, but when she learns that a school will open in her town, she longs to go. But her mother, the mayor, and her father, the town treasurer, only love power, fame, and money. Their Employee Manual (Leeva is the sole employee) forbids Leeva to leave the grounds. What Leeva knows of the world comes from reading the Nutsmore Weekly and watching the soap opera The Winds of Our Tides. The accumulation of injustices propels Leeva beyond the hedge surrounding their property, and she discovers a building next door filled with books. A young man named Harry runs the library for his librarian aunt, whose skateboarding injuries hinder her from doing the work she loves. Leeva learns that most of the problems in her town can be attributed to her parents. Harry helps her befriend Osmund, so afraid of disasters that he wears a hazmat suit, and Fern, who must care for several siblings and her aging grandparents. Leeva also takes charge of Bob, a cranky badger whose family was displaced to make room for the mayor's statue. Pennypacker delivers a hugely entertaining mix of outsized comedic villainy, dreadful parents, delicious cookies, and kindness rewarded. Leeva's sturdy instincts for both survival and justice are worth celebrating, as is the gift of books that expand her world. Main characters read White. Final art not seen.Splendid fun. (Fiction. 8-12)