The Rambling

Buddy Pennington has “durn horrible luck” despite his scoundrel daddy’s legendary good fortune. After he accidentally burns down half of his mother’s bakery on his 11th birthday, Buddy sets off to river country to track down his beloved Pop, a “wild soul” and lauded card player. Just after he arrives, a crew of baddies sent by legendary crime lord Boss Authority kidnaps his dad, leaving him with little more than a knife and his father’s Parsnit cards. A meandering river pursuit brings Buddy an unlikely friend, Tally, one of the spider-folk, and the two make their way to a magical swamp, wherein lie the Creepy, rumored to snatch babies; a human head–shaped card den; and the truth about Buddy’s parents’ past and his own rotten luck. As Buddy’s story moves toward a high-stakes duel, a riveting metanarrative details the game of Parsnit, in which players draw on bewitched decks to fashion a tale: “You Orate the story well enough and it might as well be real.” Flaws and redemption, rambling and heading home are at the heart of this colloquial swamp adventure by Carjoleas (The Good Demon), which considers the components of a real good tale all while telling one. Ages 8–12. [em](Mar.) [/em]