Publication: September 6, 2016, by Feiwel and Friends
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating:
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has gone away unexpectedly and left her niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle, in charge of the Upside-Down House and the beloved animals who live there: Lester the pig, Wag the dog, and Penelope the parrot, among others. Families in town soon realize that like her great-aunt, Missy Piggle-Wiggle has inventive cures for all sorts of childhood (mis)behavior: The Whatever Cure and the Just-a-Minute Cure, for instance. What is a stressed out parent to do? Why, call Missy Piggle-Wiggle, of course!
New York Times-bestselling author Ann Martin brings her signature warmth and comic genius to a new character. And artist Ben Hatke brings it all to life!
My Thoughts:
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure was a lovely middle-grade read that was so refreshing. It was different than everything I normally read, especially because I really do not pick up fantasy children's stories as I am always afraid that I will be put face-to-face with a Harry Potter wannabe story. (Sorry to all of you Harry Potter fans. It's just not my kind of read.) However, I have always been a fan of Ann M. Martin's books (she stole my heart with her Babysitters Club series) so I was hyped up to pick this up. It's been a long time since I received this in the mail, but I am SO glad I enjoyed it. This is a fun, adorable story that has that kind of cute vibe to it. It just warmed my heart and reminded me of the kind of books I always wanted to read when I was a kid.
SO. What is this book (with a weird title) truly about? Our protagonist, Missy-Piggle-Wiggle, lives in her aunt's house, since her aunt is trying to find where her husband is after he was abducted by pirates. This introduces us to a magical world, which I appreciated so much! My head was spinning with this imagery, so I can imagine what kids will go through when they read this lovely story. All of the children's parents in their town know about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's magical skills to cure annoying habits (of the kids, obviously). Thinking that Missy didn't know how to perform the magical "work," the parents became worried as she was their only hope. Eventually, they figured out that she has the same skills as her aunt, so they took their problematic children to Missy. This is the story about the various journeys everyone encountered involving Missy's skills. In fact, it is a lovely story.
I really appreciated the characters that Martin created — as always. We have a huge pack of characters in Missy Piggle-Wiggle's world that are both humans and animals and even... houses. My favourite was Melody, from all of the characters. She's a bookworm (like me) and shy, showing that characters that are kids don't have to be perfect and loud and have a full HUGE personality. She had her own kind of magic in her character, which I really appreciated. Missy Piggle-Wiggle as a protagonist was just so cute - I think children would find her to be a great role model as she fixes situations and is just a positive influence. NOW - if you look at the cover of this book, would you expect a moving, listening house to be a character? I know I wouldn't, but this is what happened! That was really creative and interesting. I can honestly say that everything about this book was entertaining - the parents were (who were so anxious that it became hilarious) and the adorable animals like Lester the Pig (who acted like Missy's personal butler) and Wag the Dog! AH. IT'S SO CUTE!
As for the plot, the beginning was kind of slow for character development (in order for Martin to introduce the characters aside from the weird talking house). However, it was never boring - it was action-packed and fun, and I didn't want it to be over. Another flaw was the ending, which was kind of upsetting. But hey - there's a sequel which I will be reading, so I guess there'll be a continuation there!
Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure was really enjoyable - I was never bored and I was entertained. If we can only cure the 2017 kids like that! (CURE THE DAB AND THE FIDGET SPINNERS!)
*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*
What is your favourite fantasy children's read?
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