Petra's parents have just separated, and she's stuck taking care of her younger brother, Thomas. When Thomas comes down with unshakable hiccups outside of ritzy Bloomingdale's, the two find themselves consulting Ruby--the store's sixth-floor witch. "Full of warm, optimistic good humor, this (is a) sparkling story."--The Horn Book.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Thomas is in the throes of one of his severe cases of the hiccups when he and his older sister Petra stumble into New York City's Bloomingdale's in search of help. When all of the traditional remedies fail, the two are directed to the sixth floor to see Ruby, the store's resident witch. Petra is skeptical, but Ruby's instant cure challenges her disbelief. It also starts her thinking. Her parents have recently separated, and Petra decides to enlist Ruby's help in making her dearest wish come true. There is a happy-ending reconciliation that looks promising for the future. Quirky Ruby is a very modern, no-nonsense kind of gal who takes her white magic seriously but who admits to Petra at the end of the story that "Witches don't really make magic . . . Not even at Bloomingdale's they don't. People do." A familiar department store, a bustling New York City setting, snappy dialogue spiced with plenty of humor, and a cast of slightly eccentric but likable characters are the ingredients that add up to a fast-paced, entertaining story. The book jacket, showing Ruby in her bright red get-up, amazing Petra and Thomas with her spoon-in-the-glass-of-water hiccup cure, will also attract readers. --Laura Culberg, Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
A lighthearted look at two children trying to mend their broken family. As Petra, 13, tells it, her parents have split up over Dad's midlife crisis and moved to two N.Y.C. apartments. Petra may be unhappy, but her brother Thomas, eight, has been truly miserable since--back in the suburbs--the family dog was sent away after becoming pregnant. One day, in search of water to cure Thomas's chronic hiccups, the two meet Ruby, resident witch on Bloomingdale's sixth floor. Ruby cures Thomas, gives him hope of seeing his dog's puppies, and even offers Petra the prospect of reuniting her parents. Except for Thomas, there are no memorable characters here. The fantasy aspect is ambiguous and slight; the plot never jells into significance. A minor effort. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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