Finding Serendipity (Finding Serendipity #1)

Gr 4-6-Tuesday McGillycuddy's mom is the world-famous writer Serendipity Smith. If Serendipity is not off promoting herself on TV and radio, then she is holed away in her room working on her children's novels. Tuesday can't wait until her mom completes "Vivienne Small and the Final Battle" so they can spend more time together. Then Serendipity mysteriously disappears. Tuesday soon finds the words "The End" spelled out in shimmering, silver letters floating in the air above the keyboard and believes it's a clue to her mom's whereabouts. Typing her own story produces similar silvery words that entwine and carry her and her faithful dog Baxterr to a land where all books are created. Tuesday is convinced she will find her mom here. Though warned against doing so by a kindly librarian in this magical realm, Tuesday enters the world of her mother's book and soon embarks on exciting adventures with Vivienne Small. Threatened by bloodthirsty pirates and menacing Captain Mothwood, Vivienne and Baxterr are in extreme danger and Tuesday's creative writing skills must save them from this dire predicament. The spunky and likable characters are portrayed in line drawings throughout the book. Though it is occasionally hard to distinguish whether Vivienne's current world has been created by Serendipity or Tuesday, it does not diminish the enjoyment of this imaginative tale. Bank's story is magically whimsical and filled with adventurous twists that will keep readers turning the pages.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Writing as Banks, Australian adult fiction authors Heather Rose and Danielle Wood make a sparkling children's book debut in a novel that bridges and blurs reality and fantasy, while offering a tantalizing spin on the notion of story. Tuesday McGillycuddy lives with her language-loving father and author mother, who, under the name Serendipity Smith, writes a bestselling adventure series starring heroine Vivienne Small. When Tuesday's mother disappears while finishing Vivienne's final tale, Tuesday types "The End" on her mother's typewriter, hoping she'll reappear. When she doesn't, Tuesday starts writing her own story ("Maybe what we need is a beginning"). As she types, the words transform into silvery threads that transport Tuesday and her dog, Baxterr, to a world reserved for authors, where she enlists Vivienne's help to find her mother. Their wild escapade (involving an encounter with a pirate whose bluster rivals Captain Hook's) becomes interwoven with her mother's fiction. With cinematic imagery and keen wit, the authors construct an inventive novel that raises intriguing questions about the relationship between authors and their characters, and reaches "The End" all too soon. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 2014 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Young writers will find inspiration in the tale—especially those who have a story within them but might be too shy to tell it." —The New York Times Book Review

This enchanting story celebrates the imagination and the connection writers feel with their stories. Spunky characters; spot-on pacing, providing perfectly timed plot revelations; and fully imagined world make this a charming winner for curling up with a good book or classroom read-alouds." —Booklist. STARRED REVIEW

"A middle-grade fantasy about the magic in writing stories . . . An original, wholehearted affirmation of the written word and the imagination." —Kirkus Reviews

"More than the plentiful adventure and engaging characters (emphatically including the dog), it's the language here that delights, with clever, convivial wordplay and an unabashed sense of joy; softly sketched spot art adds to the accessibility and the atmosphere. Give this to budding young writers ready to start at The Beginning." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A classic tale that will be loved by many." —Lamont Books

"A fantastic adventure story brimming with imagination, a love of books, and a big dash of magic. . . . Finding Serendipity has pirates and adventures, sailing ships and oodles of magic, and a silver thread that creates words and stories. . . . You'll never read a book in quite the same way again!" —My Book Corner

"I loved this book because it was adventurous, exciting, descriptive, and a mysterious story." —Lilian, age 9

"Tuesday McGillycuddy is a wonderful heroine—brave, clever, quirky, and fully of energy." —kids-bookreview.com