Tuesday, January 30, 2018

The Problim Children, a review 1.30.18




Happiest book birthdays to

The Problim Children
The Problim Children
by Natalie Lloyd
published by Katherine Tegen books



Goodreads summary:
When the Problim children’s ramshackle bungalow in the Swampy Woods goes kaboom, the seven siblings and their pet pig have no choice but to move into their Grandpa’s abandoned old mansion in Lost Cove. No problem! For the Problim children, every problem is a gift.

Wendell and Thea—twins born two minutes apart on a Wednesday and a Thursday—see the move as a chance to make new friends in time for their birthday cake smash. But the neighbors find the Problims’ return problematic—what with Sal’s foggy garden full of Wrangling Ivy, toddler Toot’s 365 stanktastic fart varieties, and Mona’s human catapult.

Truth be told, rumors are flying about the Problims! Rumors of a bitter feud, a treasure, and a certain kind of magic lingering in the halls of #7 Main Street. And the neighbors will do anything to get their hands on those secrets—including sending the Problim children to seven different homes on seven different continents!



Why You Want to Know this book:
I have been a fan of Natalie's words since the start.  Snicker of Magic blew me away by the way each line was magically read.  Natalie's words tugged at my heart and haven't let go.  Her books about magical realism are so powerful, they let you believe that maybe magic really is all around us.
Now we have The Problim Children, who really aren't problems but a family of Problims who know how to love and look out for each other.  With seven characters, there is one for everyone to love.  I enjoyed Mona, whose cranky attitude was right up my alley!  My 12yo couldn't get enough of Toot, who communicates through, yeah, you guessed it, some stinky toots.  
By loving heart first, these siblings stick together, while letting everyone in, even those who are up to no good, because maybe, people can change.  It's through this positive message that Natalie shows us we all need to love heart first.  And tacos.  We need to eat more tacos.  (just read the book).

Give this to kids who:
  • like a positive message in their reading lives
  • enjoyed A Series of Unfortunate Events or The Mysterious Benedict Society
  • are looking for a great character driven book
  • like quirky parts in books (the character Toots speaks through his farts and they are described and analyzed via footnote...)
I am already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series, because yup, it's a series!  That means we have more of Natalie's words to look forward to reading!  Yay, us!  Until then, make sure you pick up a copy of The Problim Children!

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