Penelope Crumb, fourth grader, is about to discover that she has an enormous nose. This nose has suddenly appeared in a picture of her drawn by her very good friend. How could she not have known this nose was lurking there right in the middle of her face? Even more important, how could she not have known she shares this nose with her Grandpa Felix who it turns out is alive and well and could even be living nearby?
You can listen to Penelope take all of this in and decide what to do about it. Her father is dead...we're talking Graveyard Dead and Penelope is very surprised to learn that his father - her grandfather and co-owner of the nose is very much alive but not speaking to her family. This is a challenge she will not ignore.
Penelope is looking for something that is missing in her world and she's pretty doggone sure that Grandpa Felix might have that missing thing. Meanwhile, at school, Penelope's class is assigned to make a coat of arms to represent their family. What does her family look like? What would go into her coat of arms?
All of this family talk plus her nose sends Penelope on a search for her grandfather. Good Gravy. What will she discover?
A book about friendship, about family, a little bit of loss, and a determined, innocent young lady who is headed for some adventures.
Editors note: As delightful as this character is, I had a really hard time reading about these nine year olds knocking on the doors of strangers unbeknownst to their parents. It made me tense. Kids may just enjoy the story and ignore the realities.
Ages 7-10 211 pages 978-0399257285
Recommended by: Barb
