Suzanne Marie Nelson

Nitty Luce runs away from Grimsgate orphanage, steals a pouch of magically green seeds, and steals/rescues an elephant that's about to be hanged, before escaping in a dust storm. Girl and elephant (Mag, short for Magnolious) wind up in Windle Homes' barn, and he grudgingly allows them to stay. But the town of Fortune's Bluff is suffering from ever-worsening "dusters," even as the dust storms die out elsewhere, and Nitty's new neighbor Twitch believes the mayor is the villain at the heart of show more the mystery and misfortune. A Depression-era, Dust Bowl tale laced with magic (the green seeds bear "froozle fruit," the mayor has invented a machine that sends targeted dusters, Nitty and Mag communicate almost telepathically) makes for a unique read - with a delightful, delicious vocabulary (Nitty gets many of her words from newspapers).

Recommended by a library patron.

Quotes

"Who needs expertise when you have confidence?" (47)

"Limitations are as plentiful in this world as the air we breathe. You think you can beat them. We all do, at one time or another. But we can't." (Windle to Nitty, 60)

Dreams are forces in themselves, strong enough to leave footprints behind in the imagination. (62)

Understanding a place and its people...was the best way to stay out of mischief when you didn't want it and to find it when you did. (83)

To say that one mysterious happening was impossible meant that others were, too. (121)

"How do you make peace with certain sorts of cruelty?"
"Maybe you never do."
"Maybe you bury them with your own better doings." (Ferdinand, Twitch, and Nitty, 135)

The difference between wanting and doing...is the difference between a paintbrush and a masterpiece. (141)

"Well, you can't be prepared for everything all the time." (Nitty to Windle, 184)

"There are limits to what people can bear." (Windle to Nitty, 207)

"Fear blinds folks from lots of wrongs they should see." (Twitch to Nitty, 218)

"Why is it that caring for another soul means you want to do what's best for them, even when it's hurtful to you?" (Nitty to Twitch, 300)

"Each and every one of us has a say when it comes to what is right." (Nitty, 336) show less

This is beautifully written story with a rich vocabulary. Nitty is an orphan on the run from her home, when she encounters a gentleman with these special green beans. While she is taking the beans she sees an elephant being hung in the middle of town. She and the elephant, Mags, have a very special bond and run from the town. They run into a dust storm and seek shelter in an old barn. This is where their adventure truly begins. A creative story that has mystery, magic beans, life lessons, show more and new love. While i enjoyed the story there were moments that I believe a younger child may not understand fully. There is also many words i believe will have children looking into the dictionary to find the meaning. Overall a great book with some mature detail that may be best suited for older children or for reading along with an adult and discussing your point of views throughout. show less

I'm going to file this book in my library under sociology and reference it when discussing ways women sabotage their lives. The main character is filled with bad character traits. She is deceitful. She is cowardly. She is manipulative. I am appalled that this book has so many positive reviews on Amazon. I certainly hope that young women don't come away from this fantasy thinking the way to a good relationship is to act like Lise Santos! On top of the fact that I disliked the character I was show more supposed to be bonding with, the book had completely unbelievable moments. Two teenage girls painting a nursery get into a fight and decide to throw paint on one another's faces? A boy who has been hiding the fact he is an artist and never shows anyone his paintings is happy to see that someone hung a bunch of them on the wall of a public place without his knowledge? This was a bad book. Suzanne Nelson has written much better than this. show less

{My thoughts} – Sheyda is definitely the kind of character in a book I’d love for my own children to idolize. I think she is brilliantly written and because of that, I absolutely loved reading this book. She’s this sweet awkward girl that has to discover who she is before she can become who she really is deep down inside. She’s a people pleaser and extremely shy when it comes to needing to speak her mind. She does everything she can to lessen the burden of parenting on her parents show more since her sister chooses to be a rebel and cause a lot of trouble on a regular basis. She lets people more or less walk all over her throughout most of the book, but eventually she finds her voice.

The part where she finds her voice is what I think makes her an incredible role model for children. She shows that just because she is able to make it through day upon day trying to make sure everyone is happy but herself, doesn’t mean that she isn’t hurting inside, it doesn’t mean that things don’t bother her, and it doesn’t mean that she isn’t overwhelmed. Eventually, once she finds her voice she makes all these things known and she does it in such a way that it just leaves you thinking how incredibly awesome she is for all she does.

Her best friend isn’t really much of a best friend through most of the book. It eventually comes down to friendship or a boy. Which direction does it go? I don’t know, it looks like you’ll need to read the book to find out. The boy in question is Cabe, he’s a teen heartthrob and he is shooting a new movie at the donut shop that both girls work. Does he have the power to break or save the friendship between these two girls?

I really liked reading this book. It was a light read and it was a fun read at the same time. I really thank that any young twee/ teen would be able to enjoy this book and that it would make a great addition to their bookshelf. show less