Mr. Tiger, Betsy, and the Blue Moon

January 15, 2020
A fantasy series opener from the author of Carnegie Medal winner Maggot Moon (2013). Betsy K. Glory lives on a small island with her ice-cream-making dad, who owns a cafe; her ocean-dwelling mermaid mum pays them weekly visits. When Betsy and Mr. Glory deliver his latest concoction to an ice-cream-fancying toad, the amphibian reveals that she is Princess Albee, self-exiled from her home on Gongalong Island after her giantess half sister, Princess Olaf, made a wish that turned her into a toad, a wish Albee is unable to overturn. While confirming Mum's assertion that Gongalong Island's berries, when made into ice cream, grant wishes, Albee says they must be picked during a blue moon. Sadly, no one knows how to turn the moon blue. Worse, Princess Olaf has fenced off most of their island for her own use, making it nearly impossible for the remaining resident Gongalongs (tiny humanoids) to escape. When Mr. Tiger and his oceangoing circus, which features Gongalong acrobats, arrive on Betsy's island, he hatches a plan to free the Gongalongs and Princess Albee. With an elaborately silly plot and flimsy characterization, the story feels rudderless; it lacks thematic heft. A few moments sparkle, though, and the abundant, imaginative illustrations (executed in blue, to match the blue type) provide continuity and quirky charm. Human and human(oid) characters default to white. Should please Anglophiles fond of cozy, English cultural references and nonstop whimsy. (Fantasy. 6-9)

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April 10, 2020

Gr 3-5-With a mother who is a mermaid and a father who makes and sells ice cream for a living, Betsy lives a life of wishes, magic, and adventure. When Mr. Tiger comes to town with his troupe of tiny acrobats, he enlists the help of Betsy and her parents with a particularly adventurous mission: to turn the moon blue in order to harvest the Gongalong berries that make wishes come true for anyone who eats them. Descriptive phrasing, fun word choices, giants, toads, and ice cream make this story an entertaining read. This title is printed in blue Dyslexie typeface (a printed alphabet design with heavier bottoms, slightly different shapes, and longer sticks, according to dyslexiefont.com) to improve readability for those with dyslexia. With detailed crosshatching, Maland's cheerful and copious illustrations offer an enchanting complement to the story. VERDICT This novel and its beautiful illustrations have many fairy-tale elements woven together in a fresh way, creating a story that is at once familiar and unique.-Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa

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Starred review from February 1, 2020
Grades 3-5 *Starred Review* Betsy K. Glory enjoys a peaceful existence with her ice cream-making father and charming mermaid mother on an island that's been left off of the map of the world. Life becomes more interesting when Betsy is presented with an unusual challenge: in order to reverse a curse on a new friend, a very special wishing ice cream must be produced, and it requires rare Gongalong berries that are found on a faraway island and only ripen under a blue moon?which almost never happens. However, with the arrival of Mr. Tiger, a dashing circus leader, things begin to look up. Mr. Tiger seems to have a plan, and the group sets off on the crazy crusade. If the synopsis sounds a bit surreal, it absolutely is, in the weirdest and most wonderful way. Gardner, author of the Printz Honor-winning Maggot Moon, 2013, uses terrifically imaginative writing that's simple, direct, and packed with whimsical details at every turn, without ever spilling over into something too precious. The text, printed in a blue typeface meant to assist dyslexic readers, wraps itself around eye-catching illustrations of varying sizes, adding to the fantastical nature of the story. It's a marvelously inventive fairy tale full of heart and humor, and readers will be utterly enchanted by Betsy and her dreamy, ice cream-centric world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)