The Quirks: Welcome to Normal - Hardcover

Soderberg, Erin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1599907895 ISBN 13: 9781599907895

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2013

Synopsis

Molly and her family have moved around for years. Every time they think they've found a home, one of the Quirks slips up and sends them packing -- because the Quirk family is a bit, well, quirky. Each family member has a magical power that makes them unique, and highly unusual. Mom can control minds; Grandpa twists time; Molly's twin sister Penelope has an all-too-real imagination; and Finn is the pesky kid brother -- who happens to be invisible. Then there's Molly, the most unusual Quirk of all. Molly is completely, utterly normal. Molly's greatest desire is to fit in, and she's found the perfect spot: Normal, Michigan. With its cookie cutter houses, welcoming committees, and all-town competitions, it seems like just the place for an ordinary new life. But the Quirks aren't known for fitting in -- especially in a place like Normal...

About this title

About the Author

ERIN SODERBERG (DOWNING) lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her delightfully quirky family. Before becoming an author, Erin was a children's book editor and a cookie inventor, and also worked for Nickelodeon. She has written many books and especially loves telling stories about lovable and silly families (like the Quirks!). erinsoderberg.com

KELLY LIGHT can usually be found drawing in her attic, among old radios that really play, while singing loudly with two backup singers: Jedi the cat and Jabba the dog. She lives on Long Island, New York. kellylight.com

Reviews

Gr 3-5–Nine-year-old twins Penelope and Molly Quirk come from a unique family. Grandpa Quirk can shift time, their mother has strong powers of persuasion, and their five-year-old brother hasn't been seen by anyone except Molly since he started becoming invisible at six months of age. Penelope herself has a tricky habit of imagining things into reality. Strange events follow the Quirks wherever they go; just as they get settled in a new town, one of their “quirks” gets out of hand and they are forced to move on. Upon landing in the tiny town of Normal, Michigan, however, things begin to look up. Have the decidedly abnormal Quirks finally found their true home? Like the characters in Ingrid Law's Savvy (2008) and Scrumble (2010, both Dial), Soderberg's struggle to maintain and control the things that make them special while still leading meaningful lives in the wider world. Light's illustrations add depth and energy to the characters, effectively moving readers through the story. This title combines gentle family drama, humor, and magic, resulting in a satisfying read.–Sara Saxton, Tuzzy Consortium Library, Barrow, AKα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Twins Molly and Pen Quirk have moved to Normal, Michigan, with their family just as they are about to start fourth grade. Unlike her mother, grandfather, twin sister, and younger brother, Molly is unique in her family for having no evident talent or quirk that makes her stand out. Instead, Molly has good common sense and finds herself keeping track of her family’s various abilities to disappear, rewind time, and other behaviors that can disorient the folks around them. This first title in a new series, The Quirks, provides quick character sketches, gentle but funny problems, and illustrations that capture the humor and energy in the family’s adventures. Molly’s plight of wanting to fit in, despite her family’s oddities, as well as her mother’s eventual recognition that Molly’s talent is indeed her appreciation for normalcy, forms the spine of this enjoyable outing. A new romance for Molly’s mother adds further to the appealing plot, and readers will hope the next adventure appears soon. Grades 2-4. --Francisca Goldsmith

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1599907895
• ISBN 13: 9781599907895
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240