Horns and Wrinkles [Paperback]

Joseph Helgerson (Author), Nicoletta Ceccoli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

How can you tell if a river’s under a spell? River trolls, rock trolls, blue-wing fairies—the usual suspects. The stretch of the Mississippi where Claire lives has rumors of them all, not that she’s ever spotted any. But then Claire’s cousin Duke takes a swim and sprouts a horn—a long, pointy, handsome thing. After that, Claire doesn’t have much choice but to believe that something rivery is going on, especially since she’s the only one who can help Duke lose his new addition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4-7–With the Mississippi River full of magic, and a touch of the Pinocchio effect, a thriving rivery realm spills out into the real world. A human couple has been turned to stone while sitting across from one another in the breakfast nook, and when a few well-meaning people try to help, they too fall under the spell. Only 12-year-old Claire, accompanied by her irascible cousin, Duke, dares to get to the bottom of things. Duke has already been cursed with a horn for not showing an act of kindness, and the girls trust in him backfires when he steers her toward three conniving river trolls. From there, Claire must maneuver a perilous path through troll-river folklore and magical twists. Tongue-in-cheek humor brings a delightful zing to the playfully inventive storytelling and fast-paced plot. Enchanting sketches foreshadow each chapter, adding to the wonder. A new Mississippi River fable has been born.–Robyn Gioia, Bolles School, Ponte Vedra, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Twelve-year-old Claire and other Blue Wing townsfolk know there's something magical about living along the Mississippi River. How else can they explain Claire's bullying cousin Duke suddenly finding a rhino horn growing where his nose was? Or Duke's parents mysteriously turning to stone? Seeking antidotes, Claire, who "can't resist an adventure," joins Duke and a motley trio of river trolls on a quest filled with obstacles, magic, and mayhem that ultimately leads to a showdown with a Rock Troll, who may hold the key to it all. Folksy charm, inventive fantasy, and diverse characters blend in this offbeat river tallish tale. Claire's droll first-person narrative details settings and events with storytelling flair and occasional poetic eloquence, and elegant, shadowy cameo art opens the chapters. Though multiple story lines and back stories--human and troll--occasionally overwhelm, and Claire's narrative sometimes reads older than her years, fantasy fans will still enjoy this humorous, imaginatively rendered story in which trolls wear nylon bicycle suits and bullies get a second chance. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Reprint edition (February 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618981780
• ISBN-13: 978-0618981786
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Bullies

More About the Author

Author Joseph Helgerson lives in Minneapolis with his wife, daughter, and son. He has written two books, CROWS AND CARDS and HORNS AND WRINKLES.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well I'll be hornswaggled, September 7, 2006

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Horns and Wrinkles (Hardcover)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. When it comes to children's books, nine times out of ten the old phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover" is bupkiss. Sometimes the cover is the only reason a child's going to pick up a book in the first place. And the image on the front of "Horns and Wrinkles" . . . . well, let's just say that more than one kid is going to find it a pretty tantalizing selection. Aside from the dreamlike quality and the subdued color scheme, there's also the fact that it sports a boy looking directly at you while wearing a nose like a rhinoceros. But pretty covers are a dime a dozen. "How's the story?", cry the parents of the fifth-graders who are straining to grab a copy or four of the pretty pretty book. Well, I've got some good news for you. This book is superb. A peach. A doll. It's a fun American story that puts the realism back into the term "magical realism". Add in a bunch of dreamy chapter-heading illustrations and what you have is a great little find.

It's kind of hard to pinpoint exactly when it all began, but it probably got started when that nasty boy Duke started dangling his cousin Claire off the Steel Girder Bridge just outside of town. Claire's been the victim of Duke's bullying for a long time now, but on this day something changed. Next thing anyone knew, Claire was sailing serenely down the Mississippi with a nice orange tennis shoe-wearing old lady and Duke had a horn growing out of his nose. Now everybody in Blue Wing, Minnesota knows that if something weird happens, it's probably going to be river related. This part of the Mississippi causes all kinds of oddities. Everything from fairies sightings to river and rock troll incidents, and it's no end of trouble to the town's residents. Next thing you know Duke's family's turned to stone and Claire has just found herself in the company of some fast-talking nylon bicycle-suit-wearing river trolls. Now she and her cousin must help these oddly amusing critters on their peculiar quest or Duke's family will remain stone forever. The thing is, Duke's horn gets bigger every time he bullies someone, and worse still, he likes the change. Something is going to have to be done, and it's up to Claire to do it.

A native Minnesotan, it's clear that Helgerson knows of which he speaks. Part of what's so nice about this book is the fact that it feels oddly realistic. This story takes place partly in a small town where peculiar magical river occurrences are just a fact of life. One of my favorite parts in the book involved the resident sheriff, a man who's seen it all and treats the fact that some people have been turned to stone without a blink. "There's folks in this town that choose not to believe in fortunetelling catfish, or low-flying buffalo, or whatever . . . I'll tell you straight out, I'm not one of them". This is like the show NYPD done small-town, Minnesotan, magic style. The book also has a deep and abiding knowledge of what small-town life is really like. When Clair's grandfather tells story after story of relatives who've dealt with river happenings, it feels natural. Like you're on a back porch listening to your relatives reminisce about their foolish ancestors. And then there's the fact that Helgerson just has a way with writing. There are sentences in this book like, "Tree branches remained bare but you could smell spring cooking inside them". Or when a river troll is threatened with a most gruesome punishment, "And if there's any funny business, I'll turn you into books. Thick ones with no pictures and tiny print". Thank God for humor. Thank Helgerson for filling this book with loads of it too.

The characters are what really impress, though. Duke is nasty. He's nasty on page one, he's nasty on page 119, and he's nasty on page 340. But it's not as if he's a one-note villain. Somehow or other, Helgerson has tapped directly into what makes a person a bully and has put all that knowledge into the character of Duke. He's a coward, and a liar, but you could never say he wasn't one hundred percent believable. The river troll trio that Claire and Duke take up with are also particularly enjoyable and surprisingly deep characters. At the beginning you get the three of them mixed up together. Then, oh so slowly, Helgerson pulls apart their personalities one by one. You begin to feel affection for Stump, a wariness of Jim Dandy, and a wariness verging on fear of Biz.

The editor of, "Horns and Wrinkles" once said of the book, "One of the things I like best about the book . . . is that it's truly Americana fantasy. I just can't think of too many other books for this age group that happen right here in the US of A". And boy has she got THAT right. Name the five best American children's works of fiction that were published this year. Go on. Name `em. If you're anything like me you started scratching your head at some point and muttering under your breath, "Does `Fly By Night' count? No, that's British". The fact of the matter is that American fantasies are rare shy little beasties. When someone wants to make a truly interesting tale for kids with roots firmly embedded in the soil of North America, you could end up with anything from Michael Chabon's, "Summerland" (an underrated title, if you ask me) or Diane Duane's, "So You Want To Be a Wizard". The nice thing about "Horns and Wrinkles" is that it's a truly Midwestern creation. The book is set between the Minnesota and Wisconsin bluffs in the whirling twirling currents of the mighty Mississippi. Ya can't get more Yankee than that!

The book isn't perfect, of course. Often I'd find myself a bit furious with Claire for continually helping out her cousin, even though it was obviously a bad idea. Helgerson justifies these multiple lapses in judgment in a variety of different ways, but never so much that they don't feel a little convenient. I mean, if Claire didn't keep following Duke hither and thither then this would be a very short story. Still, Duke uses his cousin again and again and she only gets back at him with little growls and sniping comments. Grow a backbone, girl!

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that "Horns and Wrinkles" won my heart lock, stock, and barrel when the appearance of a long-lost relative is explained away by a character saying, "We'll say he's a cousin visiting from Kalamazoo". Yay, my hometown! Also, the small illustrations by Nicoletta Ceccoli are worth the price of the title alone. All in all, if you find that you have to purchase a new fantasy title for the kiddies and you'd like to eschew the usual British tales that say, "Book One In An Exciting New Series" or words to that effect, this is the one to nab. This is not to say that a sequel to "Horns and Wrinkles" would not be more than welcome. But when it comes to rock solid writing and amusing details, this title stands on its own two feet.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to share!, October 14, 2006

By 

Isobel Dash (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horns and Wrinkles (Hardcover)

I gave this book to my 11 yr. old niece and she read it in two nights. That, above all else, is a recommendation of the highest degree. She said it's the best book she's read in years! I'm going to give a try next myself.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Americana fantasy at its best!, September 20, 2006

By 

Atlantia - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horns and Wrinkles (Hardcover)

The perfect read aloud to share or the perfect book for the fantasy fan in your life to cozy up with. Just great for middle grade readers who are looking for something other than Harry Potter . . . Joe Helgerson's language is spry, surprising, and a sheer delight. You must read this book!