Adventures of a Dwergish Girl

Teen Molly O’Malley is a Dwerg who lives in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Like all Dwerg families, Molly’s has extraordinary wealth from mining gold. As a female Dwerg, Molly is expected to tend goats and vegetables and marry a “slob male Dwerg,” but she is also permitted to attend school in nearby Kingston. After a year and a half of high school, Molly knows two things: that Dwergs, though exceedingly boring, possess magic, and that she needs to live on her own. After getting a job at a pizza place, Molly meets the usual, delightful assortment of oddball characters who show up in stories by Pinkwater (the Hoboken Chicken series)—here, the cast includes an 18th-century teenage ghost and the Catskill Witch. With their help, Molly must stop androids disguised as British Redcoats from burning New York City, as well as gangsters from stealing the Dwergs’ gold. Molly is curious, practical, and resourceful, and despite her desire for independence, she remains connected to her Dwerg family and heritage. The comically absurd ending is an enjoyable wrap-up to this fast-paced, unexpected adventure that combines history, folklore, and nonsensical fun. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.) [/em]