Monday, July 16, 2007

When it rains it pours. . .

So I get an email from my editor informing me that Alex got a starred review in this week's Publishers Weekly (!!!) . . .

Can we just say, over the friggin moon!!

Here it is (warning minor spoilers):

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman
Adrienne Kress. Weinstein Books, $16.95 (320p) ISBN 978-1-60286-005-6

Kress’s debut is a wonderful blend of whimsy and moral, with winks at the reader on every page. Alex, who lives with her uncle in the flat above their doorknob shop, is dreading the sixth grade and the stern teacher who comes with it, but on the first day she learns that a new teacher has been installed—the young Mr. Underwood (“a marvelous teacher despite being ever so distinctly odd”). He turns out to be a descendant of a famous pirate, and soon three vicious men turn up in town, looking for a map to a fabled family treasure. The map is somewhere in a stately manor house, run by the vicious old ladies of the Daughters of the Founding Fathers’ Preservation Society; Alex finds the map and escapes, but returns home to find that her uncle has been killed and Mr. Underwood has been kidnapped by the pirates of the ship Ironic Gentleman. She sets off to find him and has some odd encounters along the way (at one point, she meets an enormous octopus, distraught over how computer animation has wrecked his movie career). Eventually, Alex ends up on the Ironic Gentleman, face to face with the dreaded Captain Steele the Inevitable, whose identity comes as a big surprise. Kress has a delightfully simple, observational prose style that recalls A.A. Milne, right down to the frequent capitalization of Good Things and Very Interesting Things and so on. This inspired book should hold up to many re-readings. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

14 comments:

Jim Melvin said...

I saw this on AW and just wanted to give you great congrats!

ORION said...

Yeah yeah yeah!!!!! a starred review!!!!!yeah!!!!

Doug A Scott said...

I was pretty sure this was a big deal, but I double checked with my wife, Lynn, and her reaction to the news was "Oh my god!" So, yeah, good then. :-) Congratulations! (And we will be sure to point this all out to the youth librarians at work.)

Welshcake said...

Simply fabulous and so well deserved.

David L. McAfee said...

I didn't read the review (because of the spoiler alert), but congrats, anyway, Adrienne. :) I'll come back and read the review after I finish the ARC, which I got back yasterday....with little doggie teeth marks in it. UGH!

Karen Fisher-Alaniz said...

This is fabulous! And I love the look and style of your site by the way. When I grow up I wanna be just like you. Looks like you're livin' the writerly life! Woohoo for you!

Oh and by the way-You've been tagged. It's not my fault. It's Jennifer's (of jenfreedom). She started the whole thing...well for me anyway. Anyway- if you have time, go check it out at my blog. This is the first one I've done so who knows if I'm doing it right?

Great news on your book. You must be walkin' on air!

Karen

Kanani said...

That's wonderful! A very well written review with genuine enthusiasm.

I hope you'll find time to talk the The Writerly Pause in late August.

Dawn said...

Big hug and kisses to you, Adriene! That is so wonderful to have a review like that in Publisher's Weekly.

And "observational prose style that recalls A.A. Milne" - that's a heavyweight compliment, gal.

Adrienne said...

jim - thank you so much

orion - calm down, calm down . . . breathe . . .

doug - ooh thanks! Glad your wife set you straight - and dude, it's all about the youth librarians . . .

welshcake - you are so sweet, and considering you've actually read it, I am pleased you feel it is actually deserved.

david - . . . doggie . . . teeth . . . marks. . .?

karen - thank you many times over, you are so sweet! I love being tagged, I did the 8 interesting things once before but I am rather fascinating so I will definitely so it again. I am honoured, thank you!

kanani - thank you! And dude, of course the interview is on, unless you guys get intimidated by my amazingness. . .

dawn - thank you! I have been really blessed with the comparisons so far: Lemony Snickett, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and now A A Milne - it is a ridiculous honour and hard to really accept, considering how amazing all those authors are.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant! I hate reading spoilers, but I had to read the rave review...now I know the beginning, but at least I have the rest of the book to look forward to. Congratulations!

Unknown said...

Lemony Snickett, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, A A Milne and now to top the boys - a g-i-r-l - I'm hooked on your story, style and wit already, Adrienne, congrats!
Sue
x

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow, that's just fantastic!

I too, hate any sort of spoiler and I want to enjoy the book knowing almost nothing about what happens in it. Female protagonist, whimsy, pirates and rave reviews are all I need to know. I'm getting quite anxious to read it!

I'm hoping to discover or invent some sort of health and fitness angle to the book so I can review it on my blog. Well hell, it's my blog and I can review it if I want! Tussling with pirates must be aerobic, no?

Therese Fowler said...

"Wonderful!" "Inspired!"

I am so pleased for you that my tail is wagging!!

Kanani said...

Really? It's on? Oh my... we will have to get out our magic tricks --did you know that David has been doing magic since 1940?

Anyway, do get back to Sovann (he's our Cambodian Phillip Chandler) about setting up a date. Late August? Ninewriters@gmail.com

We can do phone, we can do skype or ichat.