Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains

September 1, 2008
Gr 3-6-An adventurous young milkmaid named Lucy decides to climb the Scratchy Mountains to learn more about her mother, who vanished many years before. At the top of a mountain she discovers a town dominated by unnecessary rules, where the weather runs on schedule, and the townspeople live in alphabetical order. Lucy's friend Wynston, who is the prince of their small town, and who is supposed to be looking for a suitable princess to marry, follows her up the mountain and helps her rescue her pet prairie dog. As they work together, their spirited friendship blossoms. Ultimately, they discover that it's okay to bend rules if not break them. This fairy tale, set in a time "before television and interstate highways" in the land of Bewilderness, has appealing characters who grow and develop; clear, accessible language; lively dialogue; and a light humorous tone. While the pacing is a little slow and the central message somewhat heavy-handed, children may enjoy the whimsical setting and the sweet friendship that blossoms between the protagonists."Mari Pongkhamsing, St. Perpetua School, Lafayette, CA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2008
Combining elements of a fairy tale and a folksy yarn, this story follows the parallel journeys of two young friends. Lucy, the loveliest little milkmaid in the village of Thistle, or anywhere else in the Bewilderness, misses her daily jaunt with Wynston, the crown prince whose father now insists that he attend to matters of state, specifically princess-finding. After Lucy takes off alone for the Scratchy Mountains, Wynston defies his father and follows her. This chapter book offers likable characters within a simply written, well-paced story. Magical elements, such as the river that flows up one side of the mountain and down the other, seem not just imaginative but also believable in the context of this childlike adventure story. With its spacious page design and the promise of illustrations (not seen, though the jacket art is charming), the book will appeal to many children in the middle grades as well as younger children reading at this level.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2009
High-spirited milkmaid Lucy sets off into the Scratchy Mountains looking for clues to her mother's disappearance. Lucy's best friend Wynston, a timid prince, follows, but on a different path. Snyder's breezy text incorporates droll humor, though an undercurrent of sadness also flows. Call's old-fashioned black-and-white illustrations make creative use of scale to heighten drama while reinforcing the tale's once-upon-a-time nature.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2009
High-spirited milkmaid Lucy lives with her kind but distant father and excessively well-behaved sister in the village of Thistle in the "Bewilderness." Her best friend, Wynston, is a timid prince, and her mother, Nora, is a mystery: "Mama was there, and then...she was gone." Frustrated after Wynston's father gives her the brush-off ("You're common, my dear, no matter how sweet you happen to be"), Lucy sets off into the Scratchy Mountains, determined to assert her independence while looking for clues to her mother's disappearance. Wynston follows, but on a different path, and the two have separate adventures, Wynston's involving a man stuck in a soup pot and Lucy's with a prairie dog called Cat. The friends are reunited -- and run into trouble -- in a highly regulated town at the top of the mountain. Snyder's breezy text incorporates droll humor, especially in the songs Lucy composes to keep herself company: "When climbing up a mountain, / be sure to bring your feet -- / You'll need them to escape from / hungry lions that you meet." An undercurrent of sadness also flows: this is very much a story about missing mothers and coming to terms with loss. Old-fashioned black-and-white illustrations framed within scrolls make creative use of scale to heighten drama while reinforcing the tale's once-upon-a-time nature.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)