by Stephanie Watson (j Watson)
Zora is an artist. Well, she was an
artist. That was before, when her mom was alive and she wasn’t living with her
Grandma. Ever since her mom died of leukemia, that special spark that ignites
in her chest and bursts into her drawings — she and her mom called it Voom —
hasn’t come back. Zora isn’t sure that she will ever be able to draw again.
And that makes her mad. So so mad.
She scribbles through all her favorite artwork. And then something happens. The
scribbles turn into dark green ropes that pull her and her sister Frankie into
her artwork. The sisters wake up in a strange land, filled with all the
different characters and landscapes that Zora has ever drawn. It’s called
Pencilvania.
But something is wrong there. One
of the horses she traced after she lost her Voom has been taken over by the
green scribbles. His name is Viscardi and he is determined to scribble out
Pencilvania and destroy it.
Zora finds that she doesn’t want to
lose her artwork. She doesn’t want it destroyed and so she must battle Viscardi
to save her artwork. But how? She thinks perhaps the drawings she made of her
mother will help her to save Pencilvania. But it turns out that they are just
drawings. Zora must find the power from within, she must reignite her Voom to
overcome the evil Viscardi, and eventually return home.
Although Pencilvania appears a childish book, the themes in
the book are anything but trivial. How do you find your way back to who you are
when everything you have ever known is suddenly gone? I found the book to be a
wonderful read about one girls struggle to face grief and overcome the darkness
to find a new beginning.
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try Every Missing Piece by Melanie Conklin, or Lemons by Melissa Savage.)
( official Pencilvania
page on the official Stephanie Watson web site )
Recommended
by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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