Synopses & Reviews
Greetings salutations and welcome to
The Exquisite Corpse!
All it takes is one person bold enough to set the story in motion—let the magic begin!
Kai is in Texas, visiting her truck-driving, hip-hop loving, Sherman tank of a great-aunt. Leila has finally escaped the suburbs and is ready for a glamorous summer of international adventure and royal treatment with her father's family in Pakistan. They have no idea that their utterly different worlds are about to collide.
Each of them finds a copy of a mysterious old book, and when Kai writes three words on the blank pages, they magically appear in Leila's copy on the other side of the globe. Kai's words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. When Leila adds a sentence, more story appears. Every sentence they write—whether it's inspired by a Chihuahua attack (Kai) or a misunderstanding with a goatherd (Leila)—inspires a reaction from the book. And so it goes until the fable is unspooling madly, connecting both girls to each other and to Ralph and Edwina in ways they never could have imagined.
This hilarious, inventive, and deeply touching story about destiny—how we shape it, and how it in turn shapes us—carries readers along as Kai, Leila, Ralph, and Edwina begin the search for their true selves, and discover the invisible threads that link us all, ultimately, to one another.
Review
“Magic! Its everywherein music, in moths, in an old handwritten book. But the real magic is the exquisite storytelling that sweeps us along until the last wonderful page. This is a book that leaves shimmers in the very air.” Kathi Appelt, New York Times bestselling author of The Underneath and Keeper
Review
“Lisa Papademetrious prose and sense of place dazzles the ear and eye, while the adventure and mystery binds us from page to page. Now thats sleight of hand!” Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor Winner
Review
“A beguiling tale of... enduring love and nascent self-discovery.” Kirkus
Synopsis
Bestseller and author of the popular middle grade series
Confectionately Yours Lisa Papademetriou is back with a magical, page-turning adventure for readers of all ages—a touching tale about destiny and the invisible threads that link us all, ultimately, to one another.
Kai and Leila are both finally having an adventure. For Leila, that means a globe-crossing journey to visit family in Pakistan for the summer; for Kai, it means being stuck with her crazy great-aunt in Texas while her mom looks for a job. In each of their bedrooms, they discover a copy of a blank, old book called The Exquisite Corpse. Kai writes three words on the first page—and suddenly, they magically appear in Leila's copy on the other side of the planet. Kai's words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. As the two take turns writing, the tale unfolds, connecting both girls to each other, and to the past, in a way they never could have imagined.
A heartfelt, vividly told multicultural story about fate and how our stories shape it.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is the author of Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar and Homeroom Diaries (both with James Patterson), the Confectionately Yours series, and many other novels for middle grade readers. Her books have appeared on the Bank Street Best Books of the Year list, the NYPL Books for the Teen Age, the Texas Lone Star Reading List, among others. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts.