  | Incredibly Penelope Author: Myracle, Lauren | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
Penelope has been all over the globe, from the tippity top to the bottomitty bottom, traveling alongside her godmother, the super celebrity Queenie Bee. But there's one thing she has never done, and she desperately wants to give it a try: go to school! So Penelope persuades her mother and godmother to let her attend Idlewild Academy for Girls. But her wealthy status at the school changes when her mother and godmother go missing.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (06/01/25)
School Library Journal (08/01/25)
Booklist (00/06/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 05/19/2025 Nine-year-old Penelope Goodheart has traveled all around the world with her mother and her godmother, Queenie, the star of hit reality series Dream Big! (with Queenie Bee). Insisting she’s ready for an adventure of her own, Penelope persuades her mother to enroll her in the Idlewild Academy for Girls, a school on an island near Savannah, Ga. There, charitable, optimistic, and warmhearted Penelope is hailed as a minor celebrity by her peers; she also often runs afoul of Idlewild’s greedy, conniving headmistress, Mrs. Grimsley. But with Queenie’s fortune at her disposal, Penelope believes she has everything she needs to set herself up for success. That is, until Queenie disappears along with Penelope’s mother. Taking advantage of the pair’s presumed deaths and citing Queenie’s frozen assets, Mrs. Grimsley strips Penelope of all luxuries and forces her to live in a rat-infested, possibly haunted basement. Bubbly, bouncy omniscient narration relays this lively reimagining by Myracle (Night Owl) of A Little Princess. An intersectionally diverse cast, an earnestly rendered redemption arc, and snarky prose inject the source material’s familiar plot beats with contemporary sensibilities. Ages 8-12. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Aug.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 08/01/2025 Gr 4–6—A charming riches-to-rags-to-true-riches tale that encourages young readers to consider what being wealthy means. Penelope, 11, who is loved beyond measure and can "see rainbows everywhere," has the wealth and life many kids dream of. Her godmother is a celebrity which allows her to travel around the world enjoying amazing adventures. But the one thing she wants most is something her lavish lifestyle cannot provide: to attend school and make real friends. With a bit of help from her godmother, she gets her wish and is enrolled at Idlewild Academy for Girls. But what happens when she loses everything that truly matters to her? Readers will enjoy Penelope's perspective, from her Pollyanna-like outlook to her witty wisdom. Her ability to find the good in each moment feels sincere, even as she faces off with a sinister (yet comically inept) headmistress. Fans of wordplay and the antics of characters like Amelia Bedelia and Pippi Longstocking will find a friend in Penelope. Myracle's writing keeps readers engaged in the plot with clever word choice and breaking the fourth wall. There is discussion of loss of a parent as well as abuse in the forms of neglect and verbal, which could be triggering for some readers. VERDICT A great read and intended take on A Little Princess that pushes readers to think about who they are, with or without all the riches life offers.—Jennifer Seebauer - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
