Looking Up

Words and art combine to create a moving story.

In this deceptively funny illustrated novel about loneliness and grief, Pastis (the Timmy Failure series) introduces a girl striving to save her town from gentrification by latte-sipping hipsters. Saint has a massive crush on neighbor kid Daniel, who walks with a cane. Her heightened emotions compel her to steal his birthday piñata, throw eggs at his drawings, and show up at his door dressed as a skeleton knight speaking in medieval English ("Ye are my Daniel in Distress," she pronounces). On top of her confusing emotions surrounding her crush, Saint is worried about all the fancy new coffee shops and condos springing up around town; she's especially worried about how these new developments have compelled community members to move away. When she learns that Daniel will soon be leaving, too, she persuades him to aid her in her quest to save the town from developers. Pastis's distinctive, heavily lined b&w illustrations effectively convey the protagonists' depth of emotion via amiable faces composed of two dots for eyes and a c-curve nose, while prose contains his signature absurd humor, which lightens this meditation on mourning. Characters' skin tone reflects the white of the paper. Ages 8-12. Agent: Dan Lazar, Writers House. (Oct.)

Gr 3-7--Saint (named after the football team) is a face-loving (will eat nothing with a face), piñata-saving girl, who claims her mom breaks all of her promises. The latest proof of this shortcoming comes in the form of Saint's mom not being able to attend an egg toss, which henceforth eliminates the chance of Saint winning the shopping spree at her favorite toy store, Punches Toy Farm. When Punches is demolished to become a coffee shop, it is just one more casualty in their small town. Across the street lives shy, Daniel "Chance" McGibbons, who likes to draw (his imaginary friend, Timmy) and walks with a cane. When Daniel's house goes up for sale, Saint's life partner, a painted turtle named Dr. Rutherford B. Hayes, gives out sage wisdom about life and changes. Daniel and Saint try to thwart buyers from buying the house, knowing it will get bulldozed like much of their town. Readers will rally around Daniel, Saint, and elderly toy store owner Muffins, while seeing the dilemmas faced by Saint's mom and Daniel's uncle, who are struggling to make ends meet and care for their children. With this hilarious book and its comical black-and-white illustrations throughout, Pastis (Timmy Failure) once again reaches out to reluctant readers with a multilayered tale of loss, grief, and growing up. VERDICT With an imaginative ending that will make readers think, there is more than meets the eye in this funny gem.--Michele Shaw