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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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BLUE IN THE FACE

Valerio Fabbretti Gerry Swallow

A Story of Risk, Rhyme and Rebellion

A brand new laugh-out-loud middle grade adventure by the author of the WHOLE NOTHER STORY trilogy. Set in the kingdom of Old King Cole (aka Krool) where the stories of our beloved nursery rhyme characters don't quite match up with the ones we've been told.
Elspeth Pule is an eleven year-old accustomed to getting whatever she wants by ranting, raving and holding her breath until her parents ultimately give in to her unreasonable and endless demands.

On the day they finally find the backbone to stand up to their daughter, Elspeth responds by holding her breath until she loses consciousness and hits her head on the coffee table. She awakes to find herself in a strange world populated by all of the nursery rhyme characters we’ve come to know and love: Humpty Dumpty, Bo Peep, Georgie Porgie, the Cheese who stands alone and has the habit of referring to himself in the third person or, in this case, the third cheese.

And though their names and faces are familiar, their stories are not. The whimsical rhymes have been replaced by tales of misery and injustice. Could it be that upon taking the throne Old King Krool (aka Cole) successfully orchestrated a whitewashing of history in order to improve his image?

At first, Elspeth couldn’t care less about history or about the plight of Krool’s marginalized subjects. She wants only to go home. But to get there, she finds she will need to develop qualities that she has had in short supply: diplomacy, tolerance, empathy, and ultimately the courage to lead an armed insurrection against the evil King Krool.

Gerry Swallow began his career as a stand-up comic in Seattle before moving to Los Angeles where he soon became a regular performer at the world famous Improv. This led to numerous television appearances including several appearances on NBC’s Tonight Show. He eventually turned his attention to screenwriting and has worked on such animated films as Ice Age: the Meltdown, Walking with Dinosaurs and Ratchet and Clank, due to hit theaters in 2015. His first book, A WHOLE NOTHER STORY published by Bloomsbury and written under the pseudonym Dr. Cuthbert Soup, landed him on The TODAY Show where it was chosen as Al Roker’s book club pick. It was followed by ANOTHER WHOLE NOTHER STORY and NO OTHER STORY. He lives in Vancouver, B.C. with his family.
Available products
Book

Published 2016-01-12 by Bloomsbury

Book

Published 2016-01-12 by Bloomsbury

Comments

Familiar nursery-rhyme characters assume arresting new personas in this witty, clever story of personal transformation. Rewritten rhymes and cartoonlike illustrations add humor. A surprising heroine fulfills her destiny in this rollicking version of Mother Goose.

Fans of wordplay, puns, and fractured fairy tales should be right at home.

Filled with delightful characters, witty remarks, and jokes aplenty, this book is a delightful tale and loads of fun. Fans of the Sisters Grimm, Lemony Snickett, and the Magic Tollbooth will find .much to like and chuckle over.