I'm calling this a lucky find at the local thrift store this week:
I'll admit I'm a sucker for *any* book set in pseudo-medieval times, particularly one that involves a character talking to animals. But as I go through this book -- and it's hard to put down -- I'm struck mostly by the simplicity of the storytelling. This is the kind of story I aspire to write, so I really should be paying attention to the writing style. There is some description, but it's brief and adds to the story, which moves along briskly. The characters are few but clearly defined, the story starts almost immediately -- something I struggle with in my own writing -- and the action just keeps going. No Steinbeck hooptedoodle in this one.*
(An aside: The blog post linked above, from my blog, is on the FIRST PAGE of Google searches for "hooptedoodle Steinbeck".)
I understand the book was a Newberry Honor winner in 2019, and justly so.
One oddity, something I've seen in print books a few times, but it's been a long time since I've seen it: The last page of the book physically glued to the cover:
*Amended to say the hooptedoodle came in the last two pages, and was perfect enough to make me weep.
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