The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic

Gr 4-7-Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge has a bad day and loses her hat. She finds herself lost as well, survives an encounter with a poison-tongued jumping tortoise, and overhears a conversation between two underground-dwelling Leafeaters, who have total distain for humans. Persimmony travels to tell the king what she's learned and is sent on a mission to discover if the mountain at the center of her island homeland is really a sleeping giant. Once she confirms his existence, she finds herself on an even more urgent mission, this one even more dangerous, to save her homeland by preventing the giant from being awakened by the Leafeaters, who are digging for gold and are about to reach his feet. Trafton creates a unique setting with unusual and detailed characters, including the playful Rumblebumps, the polite but dangerous Leafeaters, and the selfish 13-year-old king who has no regard for his subjects. Persimmony's sense of adventure and determination make her an entertaining heroine. Trafton's message about courage and responsibility is conveyed through her, the exaggerated King Lucas the Loftier, and assorted other characters, but it never overshadows the story. Frequent full-page black-and-white illustrations add to the humor and nonstop action.

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Framed as an account written by Professor Barnabas Quill, "Historian of the Island at the Center of Everything," Trafton's debut is a lively adventure about magical pots, pepper, manners, poison-tongued jumping tortoises, poetic soldiers, and downtrodden yet resilient heroine Persimmony Smudge. One night, Persimmony becomes lost in the woods and overhears a plot to dig for gold buried beneath the king's castle at the top of the mountain. Informing bratty 12-year-old King Lucas ("His motto had always been Eat first, think later,' and somehow he usually never managed to get around to the second part"), she learns the gold is actually an enormous belt buckle, and she is sent to investigate the rumor that there's a giant asleep underneath their small island, the mountain rising and falling as he breathes. Gathering proof, she and her friends must convince the island's fractured races that the giant is real before he wakes up and causes widespread devastation. Trafton imbues her tale with a delightful sense of fun and fascinating, well-rounded characters-playful wordsmithing and flowing dialogue make this an excellent choice for bedtime read-aloud. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9-11.

Copyright 2010 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.