Horns & Wrinkles

As her cousin Duke—the bully of Blue Wing, Minnesota—dangles her precariously from a steel bridge 20 feet above the flood-swollen Mississippi, Claire doesn't expect to softly land on a passing boat or to see Duke floundering in the river. And yet as these unlikely events—and more—suddenly begin to happen, some in the sleepy river town don't seem at all surprised. But when a rhino's horn suddenly sprouts from Duke's face and his parents turn to stone, 12-year-old Claire decides to take action. Tracking down trolls and convincing them to reverse a curse, however, may not be as easy as she thinks.

Garnering starred reviews from School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, Joseph Helgerson's debut novel Horns & Wrinkles is a captivating American fantasy that features a "touch of the Pinocchio effect" (School Library Journal) and a tenacious, likable heroine whose understated eloquence makes this endearing tale "thoroughly believable" (Publishers Weekly).

"Tongue-in-cheek humor brings a delightful zing to the playfully inventive storytelling and fast-paced plot. A new Mississippi River fable has been born."—School Library Journal, starred review

©2006 Joseph Helgerson (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

a hidden gem

very creative story written around an incident of bullying. nothing scary or inappropriate. my children and i have come back to this book many times over the years. i highly recommend.