Penelope Crumb
Penelope Crumb is no ordinary fourth grader. And when she discovers that she *gasp* has a big nose she’s initially devastated. But when her mother lets her know that she has the same nose as her Grandpa, Penelope perks up. And then she perks up even more when she finds out that Grandpa isn’t dead like she expected—he’s just gone. And she decides that it’s her job to find him. A sweet and funny story with tons of heart and hijinx about Penelope using her big nose to bring her family together.
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Philomel/Penguin, Hardcover, 211 pages
Praise
Chosen as a Bankstreet Best Book of 2013!
“In this auspicious series launch…Stout (the Fiona Finkelstein books) deals with serious topics, such as the hole left in Penelope’s life by her father’s death, with a light touch, giving Penelope a memorable narrative voice full of quirks.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“Told in a fresh, amusing first-person voice, Penelope is part adventurer, part private investigator and part therapist as she tries to piece together the missing parts of her family’s story. Fans of Clementine and Ramona will cheer as new friend Penelope finds what she is looking for.” – Kirkus
“…readers who enjoy this genre will be pleased to make her [Penelope’s] acquaintance.” – The Horn Book
“Stout tackles surprisingly serious family problems from the honest viewpoint of a child…Penelope will delight children and parents alike.” –Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“Stout handles Penelope, her nose, and her relationships with friends and family with sensitivity and humor.” – Booklist
“Penelope is an intrepid heroine with a unique and frequently amusing narrative voice…her longing for a connection to her dad’s family is poignantly believable, and her relationship with her teenaged brother is also both credible and humorous. This would be a natural tie-in with a unit on family history or a satisfying readaloud selection, and kids who have outgrown the Junie B. Jones series will enjoy Penelope’s equally comical narrative style.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (Recommended)
“Readers will enjoy meeting self-assured Penelope…It’s refreshing to find a protagonist who doesn’t define herself through the remarks of her classmates…Filled with heart-felt sentiments about family dynamics, the book also contains snippets of humor through the descriptions of the behavior of Penelope’s teacher and her mother.” – International Reading Association, Reading Today
“…a sweet and wacky romp…Author Shawn Stout mines Penelope’s sass without making her too precocious or tween, sketching a natural heir apparent to tweens like Judy Moody or Ramona.” – Austin American-Statesman
“Fans of Ramona and Judy Moody are sure to find a kinship with Penelope.” – Library Media Connection (Recommended)
“This light-hearted, cleverly crafted novel is underpinned by tender, heart-wrenching truths about family, loss, and forgiveness–a ‘must read’ indeed.” — ReaderKidz
