April 1, 2023
A resourceful girl confronts a greedy foe with courage and an open heart. A debilitating injury prevents 11-year-old Perpetua's father from working, forcing her waitress mother to take double shifts. The cost of yet another surgery is prohibitive, so Pet and her younger brother, Simon (who since their father's accident says only one word: cheese), set off in search of a priceless coin said to have been held by Christ. The coin is rumored to be located somewhere on the 200 acres belonging to a nearby community of nuns, and the only clue to its whereabouts is a rhyme remembered by a neighbor, a woman with an irredeemably wicked and menacing adult son. Pet's undertaking involves "borrowing" another neighbor's pony and setting out onto the prairie. Everything becomes more challenging than Pet anticipates. But three individuals, perhaps divine beings, provide her and Simon with food, shelter, healing, and stories. The success of their quest, not expressly religious but with a sense of the divine, turns out to be practical as much as redemptive, and the satisfactory, if not entirely convincing, outcome is welcome. The dark cloud hanging over Pet's house is offset by her clear-voiced ebullience; she is a funny, determined, and charming narrator. Most characters read White. Final art not seen. A diverting, warmhearted, unusual fantasy. (Fantasy. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
April 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 Pet, short for Perpetua, along with her younger brother, is on a quest to find a valuable coin rumored to be lost at a convent in Iowa, home to her novice-nun friend Melanie, who teaches her Latin. Pet hopes that if she can sell the coin, she can help her family: a depressed, injured father in need of surgery; a mom, tired from constant work; and the aforementioned brother, who stopped talking, except for the word cheese, the day their dad hurt himself. Of course, there's a bad guy--her neighbor's mean son, who wants the coin for himself--and faithful companions, including a white miniature horse and her brother's favorite hen from the nun's flock. They also are armed with a metal detector and a saltshaker, which Melanie says should be opened and sprinkled only in an emergency. Soon the landscape morphs into something magical, peopled with both frightening and helpful characters, such as a floating shepherdess, a giant, and a man in a monster mask. Like Oz or Narnia, the landscape will enchant readers looking for an eventful adventure.
COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
April 10, 2023
After 11-year-old Perpetua “Pet” Martin’s woodcarver father falls from a ladder and is unable to work, her mother takes on long shifts waitressing to make ends meet, and her nearly five-year-old brother Simon stops saying any word but cheese. Pet, meanwhile, carries significant guilt about her own involvement in the incident. When Pet hears a poem about a rare, valuable coin whose sale would pay for their now-depressed father’s needed third surgery, she comes up with a brilliant plan to find it on the nearby sprawling grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Abbey. But a neighbor’s menacing adult son wants the treasure, too, and the siblings’ adventure involves both borrowing a pony and keeping adults none the wiser, even as three enigmatic figures assist them. Debut author Nolte incorporates religious imagery and Latin vocabulary into a fantastical quest about a winningly indomitable protagonist who remains devoted to her family and mission. If some questions remain unanswered, a sweetly mystical vibe comes through as the story touches on themes of community care, familial alienation, and parentification. Most characters cue as white. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan.