A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic

by Lisa Papademetriou

Overview

Bestseller and author of the popular middle grade series Confectionately Yours Lisa Papademetriou is back with a magical, page-turning adventure for readers of all ages—a touching tale about destiny and the invisible threads that link us all, ultimately, to one another.

Kai and Leila are both finally having an adventure. For Leila, that means a globe-crossing journey to visit family in Pakistan for the summer; for Kai, it means being stuck with her crazy great-aunt in Texas while her mom looks for a job. In each of their bedrooms, they discover a copy of a blank, old book called The Exquisite Corpse. Kai writes three words on the first page—and suddenly, they magically appear in Leila's copy on the other side of the planet. Kai's words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. As the two take turns writing, the tale unfolds, connecting both girls to each other, and to the past, in a way they never could have imagined.

A heartfelt, vividly told multicultural story about fate and how our stories shape it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062371072
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	302
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lisa Papademetriou spends most of her time in the Dreamway, even when she's awake. She is the author of Apartment 1986 and A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic and lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Editorial Reviews

Lisa Papademetriou’s prose and sense of place dazzles the ear and eye, while the adventure and mystery binds us from page to page. Now that’s sleight of hand!” — Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor Winner

“Magic! It’s everywhere—in music, in moths, in an old handwritten book. But the real magic is the exquisite storytelling that sweeps us along until the last wonderful page. This is a book that leaves shimmers in the very air.” — Kathi Appelt, New York Times bestselling author of The Underneath and Keeper

“A lively, heartwarming, sometimes perilous tale packed with creepy elements, appealing characters…and more than a few laughs.” — Common Sense Media

“A rollicking adventure... Engaging and appealing, especially to those who have never quite fit in, this novel is sure to satisfy.” — School Library Journal

“Begging to be read aloud, this is a fun book for middle grade readers, and it will surely inspire them to read—and write—more.” — Booklist

“A beguiling tale of... enduring love and nascent self-discovery.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The developing mystery and the promise of new friendships and second chances make for emotionally satisfying engagement… Despite the contemporary setting, the book has an old-fashioned quality of domestic fantasy that will appeal to fans of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“I, for one, did not want the story to end.” — Time for Kids

From the Publisher

Magic! It’s everywhere—in music, in moths, in an old handwritten book. But the real magic is the exquisite storytelling that sweeps us along until the last wonderful page. This is a book that leaves shimmers in the very air.

Kathi Appelt

I, for one, did not want the story to end.

Time for Kids

Begging to be read aloud, this is a fun book for middle grade readers, and it will surely inspire them to read—and write—more.

Booklist

The developing mystery and the promise of new friendships and second chances make for emotionally satisfying engagement… Despite the contemporary setting, the book has an old-fashioned quality of domestic fantasy that will appeal to fans of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A lively, heartwarming, sometimes perilous tale packed with creepy elements, appealing characters…and more than a few laughs.

Common Sense Media

Lisa Papademetriou’s prose and sense of place dazzles the ear and eye, while the adventure and mystery binds us from page to page. Now that’s sleight of hand!

Rita Williams-Garcia

The developing mystery and the promise of new friendships and second chances make for emotionally satisfying engagement… Despite the contemporary setting, the book has an old-fashioned quality of domestic fantasy that will appeal to fans of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Begging to be read aloud, this is a fun book for middle grade readers, and it will surely inspire them to read—and write—more.

Booklist

2015-07-15
Two contemporary girls become linked by a bizarre story from the past, magically emerging from an old book. Twelve-year-old Kai's visiting her great-aunt in Falls River, Texas, while Leila's visiting her uncle's family in Lahore, Pakistan. A solitary only child, Kai recently stopped playing her violin after deciding she would never be the best, while Leila longs for an international adventure to compete with her academically gifted younger sister. When Kai discovers a book entitled The Exquisite Corpse, inviting her to "embark on a journey of magic beyond your powers of discernment, imagination, and belief," she sets a story in motion by writing on the blank page. Likewise, Leila finds and writes in a copy of The Exquisite Corpse. Each girl is stunned when her writing automatically appears in the emerging love story of Ralph Flabbergast and Edwina Pickle, turn-of-the-last-century residents of Falls River. As Ralph and Edwina's intriguing story unfolds in The Exquisite Corpse, bewildered Kai and Leila (and readers) wonder what's happening, but the omniscient, unidentified intrusive narrator eventually pulls most disparate elements together, connecting past to present and Lahore to Falls River. Papademetriou writes with assurance, spinning a beguiling tale of seemingly unrelated characters and events and tying it all together with a touch of magical realism. Readers will respond to this tale of enduring love and nascent self-discovery. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews