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  • Wondrous Rex

Wondrous Rex

Author
Patricia MacLachlan
Publication Date
March 16, 2021
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction /  4th − 5th
Language
English
Wondrous Rex
Description
Newbery Medal-winning author Patricia MacLachlan has written a magical and funny tale about the joy found in using words, sharing stories, and loving a wondrous dog: Rex.Grace's aunt is a writer. She works with words every day and teaches Grace interesting words like "melancholy" and "delirious. "But Lily is often "flummoxed" by her writing. Her stories don't go anywhere, her desk is a mess, and her writer's group can't help. So Lily posts an ad for an assistant: A writer of books needs an assistant, a coach, a helper, for inspiration and some magic! The next day, Grace opens the door, and there is Rex: a Labrador retriever who will change Grace's life, and Lily's. The word "amazing" is an everyday word for Rex, who inspires Lily, and helps Grace find the words to write her own story.
Publication date
March 16, 2021
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780062940995
Publisher
Katherine Tegen Books
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Chapter Books
Library of Congress categories
Human-animal relationships
Storytelling
Dogs
Authors
Human-animal communication

Publishers Weekly

A charmed (and charming) dog, a language-loving girl, and an innate aunt-niece bond are among the alluring threads that MacLachlan (Dream Within a Dream) deftly weaves into this taut novel. Seven-year-old Grace's aunt Lily, a writer frustrated by her dearth of story ideas, posts an ad for an assistant--"for inspiration and some magic!" A magician soon appears at her door with unlikely assistant Rex, a Lab who is bored, "needs new work," and "will make you happy." That proves true when the dog suddenly types words from Toni Morrison on Lily's computer keyboard: "If you find a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." This is the first of Rex's sly nudges that provide both Lily and Grace--a collector of words who hasn't yet discovered how to string them together--with the confidence and inspiration to find their creative voices. MacLachlan again proves her gift for shaping endearing and credible characters--even a magical canine--in this bright yet reflective story. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Patricia MacLachlan
Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb's Story; Edward's Eyes; The True Gift; Waiting for the Magic; White Fur Flying; Fly Away; and Snow Horses. She lived in western Massachusetts.

Micha Archer illustrated The Wise Fool, Lola's Fandango, Prairie Days, and Snow Horses, and wrote and illustrated Daniel Finds a Poem. Working in collage and oil, her use of color and pattern is influenced by the folk art, crafts, and architecture of the countries she has visited and lived in. She realized the importance of the book as a teaching tool after teaching kindergarten and raising two children. Micha divides her time between Costa Rica and western Massachusetts, where she lives in the house she and her husband built, surrounded by gardens and forest to roam in.
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