Maddy Kettle Book 1: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch (Maddy Kettle, 1) - Softcover

Orchard, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 160309072X ISBN 13: 9781603090728

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions, 2014

Synopsis

"Maddy Kettle... looks fantastic: every panel exudes quirky, gorgeous atmosphere. ” - NPR

Eleven-year-old Maddy loved working in her parents' bookstore... especially when joined by her pet flying toad Ralph. But that was before the mysterious Thimblewitch turned her mom & dad into kangaroo rats!
Now Maddy's on the adventure of a lifetime. To save her parents, she'll need to sneak past an army of spider-goblins, scarecrow warriors, and much more... Fortunately, an assortment of new friends await, including the cloud cartographers Harry and Silvio, a bear and raccoon who explore the world in their moon-balloon. They'll help her along the way, but in the end, the fate of everyone will depend on Maddy's courage, compassion, and creativity.
Full of surprises and stunning artwork, Maddy Kettle is a truly magical debut for Spectrum-Award-winning cartoonist Eric Orchard. Climb aboard and let your imagination soar!

"The tale is a stream of imaginative twists and aerial wonders, flowing along easily in a mix of full-page scenes and large sequential panels of lucidly drawn action and pithy dialogue. A sweet-mannered debut with plenty of lift." -- Kirkus

“Quirky, beautifully illustrated, and frankly looks like it's going to be an instant classic. Don't miss it." -- io9

About this title

From School Library Journal

Gr 2–6—Maddy Kettle's parents have been turned into rats and the powerful Thimblewitch is suspected as the culprit. But an attack by the evil spider goblins, who kidnap not only her parents but also Ralph, her magical floating spadefoot toad, projects Maddy on a quest across unusual landscapes and into dangerous predicaments. The heroine is joined by a pair of cloud cartographers who help her navigate to the castle of the Thimblewitch and to the floating kingdom of the spider goblins in order to reunite her family. Orchard's use of blue and yellow tones help to contrast that which is safe and unknown with all that is threatening, dark, and evil. His line work on the characters and setting portray a world that's every bit mysterious as it is fantastic, using jagged edges and dark shading to communicate a gritty and harsh world. The characters display little emotion, which at times feels disjointed from the dialogue. Though at times distracting, it is not enough to detract from quickly-moving story. The panels are large and thinly bordered and the story is paced nicely at each page turn. There is much in Maddy Kettle's world that is left unexplained, leaving room for additional volumes, though the story here reaches a satisfying conclusion with important plot lines resolved. It is clear that this world holds a great number of adventures for Maddy Kettle, and readers will look forward to journeying with her.—Matthew C. Winner, Ducketts Lane Elementary School, Elkridge, MD

About this edition

• Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 160309072X
• ISBN 13: 9781603090728
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96