A Week without Tuesday

November 15, 2015
In this middle-grade sequel to Finding Serendipity (2015), Tuesday McGillycuddy, Baxterr the dog, and the fictional, winged Vivienne Small continue their adventures in the worlds of writerly imagination. Writers are disappearing and turning up injured far from where they live, and Denis McGillycuddy, the father of Tuesday and husband of famous author Serendipity Smith, decrees no more writing until the cause is uncovered. Like his wife and daughter, Denis knows the secret all writers share: there is a magical place (with a Library, upon whose door lintel is inscribed "IMAGINE" and which is presided over by an inexorable Librarian) where writers go to write, and something there must be wrong. With confidence and a deft touch, Banks' narrative unfolds a setting in which every writer's story creates an actual world spinning in space, overseen by the Gardener, whose job it is to keep them separate. But the Gardener is now frail, and the worlds are colliding. This fascinating premise gives a nod to the current fashion for metafictive mashups but delivers so much more, as when the Gardener explains to Tuesday that some new worlds are "key worlds" and with their creation, "become like a sun in a solar system"--a perfect way to describe the effect of a classic story on both readers and writers. Lewis' spot illustrations present Tuesday and Vivienne as white. A stimulating read that validates and encourages the creative impulse--highly recommended. (Fantasy. 8-14)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-In this fantastical sequel to Finding Serendipity (Holt, 2015), Tuesday and her dog, Baxterr, are beckoned back to the land where all stories are created. Her mother's famous character, Vivienne Small, is in need of immediate help for her troubled world. Things are going horribly wrong: mountains have grown so much that they pierce the sky, and strange, terrorizing birds known as vercaka arrive from another world. Vivienne shares a possible clue to the mystery from a note tucked into the collar of a dying winged dog: "I cannot hold the worlds apart much longer. Have you found our answer?" Tuesday delivers this note to the Librarian in charge of all books and is informed that the fictional worlds are colliding and out of control. Tuesday, with the assistance of Vivienne and Baxterr, is commissioned to find and help the Gardener, the man in charge of keeping the story worlds apart. On the way, they are attacked by the murderous vercaka, witness oceans from another world pouring into theirs, and see the sky cave in like the bottom of a fishbowl. When Tuesday finally discovers the Gardener, she finds he is old and losing his memory. She must step in and take his place, never to return home to her world again. Banks's wondrously whimsical language helps transport readers into this imaginative world. The complex landscape may demand extra concentration, but those who follow closely won't want to come back to our mundane universe. Budding writers might be particularly interested in this tale. The illustrations enliven and clarify this magical story. VERDICT Creative young authors as well as fantasy lovers will enjoy this inventive book.-Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* This sequel to Finding Serendipity (2015) sees the charming return of aspiring author and spunky adventuress Tuesday McGillycuddy. Beginning with the vantage point of Vivienne Small, of Tuesday's novelist mother's books, readers learn that Vivienne's storied world, there, is in trouble: a winged dog has been fatally injured, and the Mountains of Margolov are literally puncturing the sky. So she does the only thing she knows to docall Tuesday and her dog, Baxterr, to see if they can help. Meanwhile, in Tuesday's world, writers are disappearing and her parents fear for her safety. But Tuesday cannot resist the clarion call of adventure, so she enters the fictional world of there to help her friends and makes the shocking discovery that all worlds (real and imagined) are colliding and creating chaos. This novel is a little darker and more dangerous than its predecessor and requires more sacrifice from its characters, but it still retains a playful spirit, thanks in large part to the characters themselves. All the worlds are fully rendered, and themes of imagination, courage, family, sacrifice, and friendship are beautifully explored. Fans of Edith Nesbit, Michael Ende's The Neverending Story (1979), and Roderick Townley's The Great Good Thing (2001) have a new home with Banks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
The fate of storytelling is in the hands of young writer Tuesday and her Winged Dog, Baxterr (Finding Serendipity). Summoned to the land of stories after real and imaginary worlds start colliding, Tuesday must find the Gardener, the only one who can right their universe. This timeless meta-fantasy presents fully realized worlds and writerly musings aspiring authors will relish. Retro illustrations appear throughout.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)