Horns and 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