Starred review from June 15, 2015
Second-grade is not off to a good start for Piper Green: her new teacher has a no-nonsense streak, and Piper badly misses her older brother, who is attending high school on the mainland (the Greens live on a tiny Maine island). Skillfully blending humor, pathos, and warmth with an atmospheric setting, Potter has created an honest, empathic slice-of-life story, laced with a touch of magic. Piper has a winning combination of stubbornness, loyalty, and independence, which Leng ably portrays in her loosely inked, gently humorous artwork. Simultaneously available: Too Much Good Luck. Ages 7–9. Author’s agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates.
January 1, 2016
When a new student joins her second-grade class (riding the lobster boat to school with everyone else), Piper's lucky streak seems to come to an end. In her second chapter book, imaginative and opinionated Piper is the driving force behind the emotionally resonate slice-of-life plot set on Peek-a-Boo Island. The short chapters are accompanied by lighthearted black-and-white illustrations.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)