A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic: A Multicultural Middle Grade Story About Friendship, Magic, and Destiny Across Continents for Kids (Ages 8-12) - Hardcover

Papademetriou, Lisa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062371215 ISBN 13: 9780062371218

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Synopsis

Bestseller and author of the popular middle grade series Confectionately Yours Lisa Papademetriou is back with a magical, page-turning adventure for readers of all ages—a touching tale about destiny and the invisible threads that link us all, ultimately, to one another.

Kai and Leila are both finally having an adventure. For Leila, that means a globe-crossing journey to visit family in Pakistan for the summer; for Kai, it means being stuck with her crazy great-aunt in Texas while her mom looks for a job. In each of their bedrooms, they discover a copy of a blank, old book called The Exquisite Corpse. Kai writes three words on the first page—and suddenly, they magically appear in Leila's copy on the other side of the planet. Kai's words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. As the two take turns writing, the tale unfolds, connecting both girls to each other, and to the past, in a way they never could have imagined.

A heartfelt, vividly told multicultural story about fate and how our stories shape it.

About this title

About the Author

Lisa Papademetriou spends most of her time in the Dreamway, even when she’s awake. She is the author of Apartment 1986 and A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic and lives in Massachusetts with her family.

 

From the Back Cover

Greetings salutations and welcome to The Exquisite Corpse!

All it takes is one person bold enough to set the story in motion—let the magic begin!

Kai is in Texas, visiting her truck-driving, hip-hop loving, Sherman tank of a great-aunt. Leila has finally escaped the suburbs and is ready for a glamorous summer of international adventure and royal treatment with her father's family in Pakistan. They have no idea that their utterly different worlds are about to collide.

Each of them finds a copy of a mysterious old book, and when Kai writes three words on the blank pages, they magically appear in Leila's copy on the other side of the globe. Kai's words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. When Leila adds a sentence, more story appears. Every sentence they write—whether it's inspired by a Chihuahua attack (Kai) or a misunderstanding with a goatherd (Leila)—inspires a reaction from the book. And so it goes until the fable is unspooling madly, connecting both girls to each other and to Ralph and Edwina in ways they never could have imagined.

This hilarious, inventive, and deeply touching story about destiny—how we shape it, and how it in turn shapes us—carries readers along as Kai, Leila, Ralph, and Edwina begin the search for their true selves, and discover the invisible threads that link us all, ultimately, to one another.

Reviews

Gr 4–7—A single narrator, using alternating chapters, tells the tale of two 12-year-old girls: Kai, who is visiting her unusual but lovable great-aunt Lavinia in Texas for the summer, and Leila, who is spending her summer in Pakistan, her father's birthplace. Kai, voted weirdest in her class that year, is a loner, overly protected by her mother and expected to practice her violin at all hours. 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, a name: Ralph T. Flabbergast. Guided by some strange intuition, she pens the words "was a complete fool" after his name. This is her first mistake. Now, each time she opens the book, more writing appears. 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. Leila sets out to read the strange handwritten story of Ralph T. Flabbergast but is soon distracted as a beautiful silver and green moth floats in through her window. Momentarily stunned by its luminescence, Leila forgets all about the book. When the moth flies back out the window, Leila is astounded to see a new sentence on the bottom of the page, "Wasn't that beautiful?" It's as if the book is talking to her. Back in Texas, Kai meets Doodle, a young girl out to catch the Celestial Moth, rumored to be almost extinct in this part of the world. Her adventures with Doodle and their subsequent search for the elusive moth, as well as Leila's cultural gaffes around her family, lead readers on a rollicking adventure, complete with a suspiciously operated casket company, a (sort of) pet goat, and an obsession with Pakistani Idol. In the meantime, the story of The Exquisite Corpse unfolds, telling a tale of forbidden love and magic. Papademetriou's tale is sure to please readers who love a fast-paced, clever mystery. VERDICT With magic and humor, this is an excellent addition to middle grade collections.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062371215
• ISBN 13: 9780062371218
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320