ALA Booklist (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Leila and Kai, two middle-school girls both on summer vacation, seem to have little in common. Kai is an only child and spends her time thinking; Leila has a superstar younger sister and spends her time reading. Neither of them expects for their worlds to collide and mesh when they each pick up an aging copy of The Exquisite Corpse. Kai writes one line, and then an entire story appears both books. The story in the book, about Ralph Flabbergast and real magic, grows, along with Kai and Leila, seemingly fueled by their adventures in Texas and Pakistan (respectively). As more words and story are revealed, they find that perhaps Ralph isn't just a fictional character. The writing is amusingly self-aware, begging to be read aloud, as the narrator, in chapters alternating between Kai's and Leila's perspectives, interjects little facts and opinions into what is already an entertaining story. This is a fun book for middle-grade readers, and it will surely inspire them to read d write re.

Horn Book

Through destiny--not luck--Kai, visiting her great-aunt in Texas, and Leila, on a family trip to Pakistan, find the same mysterious book with a life of its own. From across the world, the girls get immersed in the auto-generating book and discover new friendships while tracking down the clues it leaves them. This memorable magical tale ponders bigger questions about human interconnectedness.

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Gr 4-7 A single narrator, using alternating chapters, tells the tale of two 12-year-old girls, each of whom has a strange experience with a magical book. Kai is visiting her unusual but lovable great-aunt Lavinia in Texas for the summer, and Leila is spending her summer in Pakistan, her father's birthplace. While unpacking in the guest room, Kai finds an old book titled The Exquisite Corpse . Excited to read it, she is disappointed that it contains an odd introduction and only one line of handwritten text: the name Ralph T. Flabbergast . Guided by some strange intuition, Kai inscribes the words was a complete fool after the name. Now, each time she opens the book, new lines of text appear. At the same time in Pakistan, Leila, who reads far too many romantic novels and is hoping for an "authentic cultural experience" in her father's land, discovers the very same text in her great-uncle's library. After an encounter with a beautiful moth, Leila is astounded to see new sentences appearing in her book. Back in Texas, Kai meets Doodle, a young girl out to catch the Celestial Moth, a creature rumored to be almost extinct. Her adventures with Doodle and their subsequent search for the elusive moth, as well as Leila's cultural gaffes, lead readers on a rollicking adventure, complete with a suspiciously operated casket company, a (sort of) pet goat, and an obsession with the TV show Pakistani Idol . In the meantime, the story of The Exquisite Corpse unfolds, telling a tale of forbidden love and magic. Engaging and appealing, especially to those who have never quite fit in, this novel is sure to satisfy. VERDICT Hand this to readers who enjoy light fantasy and ample humor. Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH