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Adventures of a Dwergish Girl
Daniel Pinkwater
“Captivating, cool and crazy! This story is an inspiration to us all: Be brave. Have adventures.” —Sam Lloyd, author of Mr. Pusskins
“I loved it. Gloriously strange, funny, sensible.” —Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
Bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) returns in classic form with the illustrated, middle-grade adventures of one young Molly O’Malley: a dwarf (well, dwarf-ish) girl who just won’t settle for a boring life.
ISBN: Hardcover ISBN: 9781616963361; Digital ISBN: 9781616963378
Published: September 2020
Available Format(s): Hardcover and Digital Books
Bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (Lizard Music, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency)returns in classic form with the charming, illustrated, middle-grade adventures of one young Molly O’Malley.
“Daniel Pinkwater’s books don’t strive for greatness;they don’t seem to be trying at all. That’s the magic of them.” —The New York Times Book Review
Original illustrations by Aaron Renier
Molly O’Malley is a clever, adventurous girl. She is also a Dwerg. Dwergs are strange folks who live very quietly in the Catskill mountains, have lots of gold, and are kind of like dwarves (but also not!).
Molly isn’t interested in cooking and weaving, as she is expected to be. So, she sets off to see the world for herself. Which means a new job, a trip to New York City, prowling gangsters, an adorable king, a city witch, and many historical ghosts. More importantly, it means excellent pizza, new friends, and very quick thinking.
Now someone is pursuing the Dwergs for their gold. Can Molly O’Malley save the day?
“Pinkwater is arguably Pratchett-for-kids, Wodehouse-for-new-millennium-juniors. Or, if you like, Rocky and Bullwinkle in written form, with equally zany illustrations. His stories charm, educate, and thrill, and if you happen to be the lucky adult called upon to read them aloud – just to be sure they’re okay for your kids—you find them packed with jokes for the adult reader.”
—Green Man Review
“Captivating, cool and crazy! This story is an inspiration to us all: Be brave. Have adventures. And, most importantly, follow your dreams.”
—Sam Lloyd, author of Mr. Pusskins
“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.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Gr 3-6–VERDICT Those who enjoy a good mystery with an unusual plot, strong characters, and smart language will find connections between this unbelievable story and the incredible adventures of real life.”
—School Library Journal
“I loved it. Gloriously strange, funny, sensible.”
—Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
“Zany characters and a heroine with a taste for adventure fill the pages of this charming middle grade novel. Dwerg life is not for Molly O’Malley who decides to “skedaddle” from their quaint village hidden in the woods to find excitement in the big city. With touches of magic, conversations with ghosts, and a dash of danger in the form of gold-stealing gangsters, Adventures of a Dwergish Girl is sure to delight.”
—Alane Adams, author of the Legends of Orkney series
“The story is Pinkwater in classic form, full of kooky characters and an unpredictable plot that flings readers in unexpected directions . . . A Pinkwater whirlwind in all its glory.”
—Booklist
“Adventures of A Dwergish Girl is a book with every single thing I love about Pinkwater novels. Reading Daniel Pinkwater—as a kid and as an adult was hugely important to my development as a writer and a human being. Meeting another Pinkwater fan is always a sign that you are among good people.”
—Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother
“Adventures of a Dwergish Girl by Daniel Pinkwater has that rare sense of wonder that makes you feel as if you have entered into a magical kingdom.
—Joe R. Lansdale, author of Of Mice and Minestrone
“Daniel Pinkwater helped to shape me as a storyteller and his books have delighted generations of young readers. We’re so lucky to have him as a guide to all the realms of the beautifully weird and whimsical.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of The City in the Middle of the Night
“It’s a fine book by one of America’s most wonderful writers, and it’s hugely welcome after such a long absence.”
—Antick Musings
“Richly-drawn, quirky, and mysterious, Daniel Pinkwater’s Adventures of a Dwergish Girl pulls readers into a dazzling adventure, complete with android Redcoats, urban magic, and of course, the very best pizza New York City has to offer.”
—Susan Vaught, author of Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy
“Daniel Pinkwater is at his best, most charming and delightful in this tale of a girl from the Dwerg people.”
—Deborah J. Ross, author of Collaborators
“Aimed at middle school readers this is a delightful story that will please both the young and adult reader. I look forward to more of Molly’s adventures.”
—The Nameless Zine
Daniel Pinkwater is the author and sometimes illustrator of over eighty (and counting) wildly popular books, including The Neddiad, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. He has also illustrated many of his own books, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife, illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater. Pinkwater is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and appears regularly on WeekendEdition Saturday, where he reviews kids’ books with host Scott Simon. Pinkwater also contributes to Wondertime, and has in the past been spotted on the pages of the New York Times Magazine, OMNI, and many other publications.
Pinkwater lives with his wife and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York’s Hudson River.
Aaron Renier (Illustrator) is the author of three graphic novels for younger readers; Spiral-Bound, Walker Bean, and Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon. He is the recipient of the Eisner award in 2006 for talent deserving of wider recognition, and was an inaugural resident for the Sendak Fellowship in 2010. He teaches drawing and comics at universities in Chicago.
Praise for Daniel Pinkwater
“Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children’s books that he should be made a Living National Treasure.”
—Washington Post Book World
“I do believe that Daniel Pinkwater is my favorite writer, living or dead.”
—Cory Doctorow
“Pinkwater is the uniquest. And so are his books. Each uniquer than the last . . . A delight in oddness. A magic that’s not like anyone else’s.”
—Neil Gaiman
“Daniel Pinkwater [who] is, in my opinion not only one of the best YA writers ever, but also a life-changing force in the life of a reader.”
—Leah Schnelbach, Tor.com
“The most perfect manufacturer of weird and absurd stories this side of Karel Čapek (with whom he seems to share a thing for lizards) or maybe Douglas Adams (with whom he shares an interest in sardonic aliens and travel through spacetime).” —Foreword Magazine
“No author has ever captured the great fun of being weird, growing up as a happy mutant, unfettered by convention, as well as Pinkwater has.”
—Boing Boing
“A writer for smart kids . . . Pinkwater writes for, and about, people who are not ashamed to look at life a little differently.”
—Kathy Ceceri, Wired
Praise for Lizard Music
[STARRED REVIEW] “Funny, properly paranoid, shot through with bad puns and sweet absurdities, and all about a baffled kid intent on tracking reality (as slippery as lizards) in a media-spooked milieu.”
—Kirkus
[STARRED REVIEW] “Wildly imaginative . . . This is a natural high.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
“An uproariously funny and surprisingly sophisticated book.”
—Newsweek
“The story has vitality and rock-the-boat humor.”
—School Library Journal
“A contemporary tall tale that will stretch middle graders’ imagination, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for reading. For absurdity with perfect timing, not many can match.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Neddiad
“This amiable, old-fashioned adventure saga by the droll and prolific Pinkwater is a lot of fun to read, full of unexpected plot twists, LA atmosphere, and goofy names.”
—KLIATT
“The title of this book ought to give you an idea of its goofy wonderfulness . . .What makes this book so delightful—apart from the zaniness of the storyline—is the author’s lively, humane wit.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Pinkwater, master of nostalgia-tinged satire (or is it satire-tinged nostalgia?), sets this very funny encomium to the ’40s in a swath of America stretching from Chicago to L.A.”
—Washington Post
You’re probably familiar with the story of Rip Van Winkle. It was written in 1819 by Washington Irving, but it’s pretty clear he based his story on local legends of which there are a lot. The important part of the story is this Rip Van Winkle goes off into the mountains and meets a lot of little men, short ugly guys with beards, big heads, and little pig eyes. They’re bowling and drinking homemade gin. They give Rip a few drinks, he falls asleep, and when he wakes up it’s twenty years later. It’s a good story, and not hard to find. You can read it for yourself.
The thing I’m working up to is this: In the impossible-to-locate place I come from the men are all short, ugly brutes with beards, big heads, and little pig eyes. I’m relieved to say that the females are nice, but the men are fairly disgusting . . . and there’s bowling and drinking going on. I am not making any claims. I am just laying out the facts. You may draw your own conclusions.
Adventures of a Dwergish Girl
Daniel Pinkwater
“Captivating, cool and crazy! This story is an inspiration to us all: Be brave. Have adventures.”
—Sam Lloyd, author of Mr. Pusskins
“I loved it. Gloriously strange, funny, sensible.”
—Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
Bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) returns in classic form with the illustrated, middle-grade adventures of one young Molly O’Malley: a dwarf (well, dwarf-ish) girl who just won’t settle for a boring life.
Adventures of a Dwergish Girl
by Daniel Pinkwater
ISBN: Hardcover ISBN: 9781616963361; Digital ISBN: 9781616963378
Published: September 2020
Available Format(s): Hardcover and Digital Books
Bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (Lizard Music, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency) returns in classic form with the charming, illustrated, middle-grade adventures of one young Molly O’Malley.
“Daniel Pinkwater’s books don’t strive for greatness; they don’t seem to be trying at all. That’s the magic of them.”
—The New York Times Book Review
Original illustrations by Aaron Renier
Molly O’Malley is a clever, adventurous girl. She is also a Dwerg. Dwergs are strange folks who live very quietly in the Catskill mountains, have lots of gold, and are kind of like dwarves (but also not!).
Molly isn’t interested in cooking and weaving, as she is expected to be. So, she sets off to see the world for herself. Which means a new job, a trip to New York City, prowling gangsters, an adorable king, a city witch, and many historical ghosts. More importantly, it means excellent pizza, new friends, and very quick thinking.
Now someone is pursuing the Dwergs for their gold. Can Molly O’Malley save the day?
“Pinkwater is arguably Pratchett-for-kids, Wodehouse-for-new-millennium-juniors. Or, if you like, Rocky and Bullwinkle in written form, with equally zany illustrations. His stories charm, educate, and thrill, and if you happen to be the lucky adult called upon to read them aloud – just to be sure they’re okay for your kids—you find them packed with jokes for the adult reader.”
—Green Man Review
“Captivating, cool and crazy! This story is an inspiration to us all: Be brave. Have adventures. And, most importantly, follow your dreams.”
—Sam Lloyd, author of Mr. Pusskins
“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.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Gr 3-6–VERDICT Those who enjoy a good mystery with an unusual plot, strong characters, and smart language will find connections between this unbelievable story and the incredible adventures of real life.”
—School Library Journal
“I loved it. Gloriously strange, funny, sensible.”
—Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
“Zany characters and a heroine with a taste for adventure fill the pages of this charming middle grade novel. Dwerg life is not for Molly O’Malley who decides to “skedaddle” from their quaint village hidden in the woods to find excitement in the big city. With touches of magic, conversations with ghosts, and a dash of danger in the form of gold-stealing gangsters, Adventures of a Dwergish Girl is sure to delight.”
—Alane Adams, author of the Legends of Orkney series
“The story is Pinkwater in classic form, full of kooky characters and an unpredictable plot that flings readers in unexpected directions . . . A Pinkwater whirlwind in all its glory.”
—Booklist
“Adventures of A Dwergish Girl is a book with every single thing I love about Pinkwater novels. Reading Daniel Pinkwater—as a kid and as an adult was hugely important to my development as a writer and a human being. Meeting another Pinkwater fan is always a sign that you are among good people.”
—Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother
“Adventures of a Dwergish Girl by Daniel Pinkwater has that rare sense of wonder that makes you feel as if you have entered into a magical kingdom.
—Joe R. Lansdale, author of Of Mice and Minestrone
“Daniel Pinkwater helped to shape me as a storyteller and his books have delighted generations of young readers. We’re so lucky to have him as a guide to all the realms of the beautifully weird and whimsical.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of The City in the Middle of the Night
“It’s a fine book by one of America’s most wonderful writers, and it’s hugely welcome after such a long absence.”
—Antick Musings
“Richly-drawn, quirky, and mysterious, Daniel Pinkwater’s Adventures of a Dwergish Girl pulls readers into a dazzling adventure, complete with android Redcoats, urban magic, and of course, the very best pizza New York City has to offer.”
—Susan Vaught, author of Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy
“Daniel Pinkwater is at his best, most charming and delightful in this tale of a girl from the Dwerg people.”
—Deborah J. Ross, author of Collaborators
“Aimed at middle school readers this is a delightful story that will please both the young and adult reader. I look forward to more of Molly’s adventures.”
—The Nameless Zine
Daniel Pinkwater is the author and sometimes illustrator of over eighty (and counting) wildly popular books, including The Neddiad, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. He has also illustrated many of his own books, although for more recent works that task has passed to his wife, illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater. Pinkwater is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and appears regularly on Weekend Edition Saturday, where he reviews kids’ books with host Scott Simon. Pinkwater also contributes to Wondertime, and has in the past been spotted on the pages of the New York Times Magazine, OMNI, and many other publications.
Pinkwater lives with his wife and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York’s Hudson River.
Aaron Renier (Illustrator) is the author of three graphic novels for younger readers; Spiral-Bound, Walker Bean, and Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon. He is the recipient of the Eisner award in 2006 for talent deserving of wider recognition, and was an inaugural resident for the Sendak Fellowship in 2010. He teaches drawing and comics at universities in Chicago.
Praise for Daniel Pinkwater
“Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children’s books that he should be made a Living National Treasure.”
—Washington Post Book World
“I do believe that Daniel Pinkwater is my favorite writer, living or dead.”
—Cory Doctorow
“Pinkwater is the uniquest. And so are his books. Each uniquer than the last . . . A delight in oddness. A magic that’s not like anyone else’s.”
—Neil Gaiman
“Daniel Pinkwater [who] is, in my opinion not only one of the best YA writers ever, but also a life-changing force in the life of a reader.”
—Leah Schnelbach, Tor.com
“The most perfect manufacturer of weird and absurd stories this side of Karel Čapek (with whom he seems to share a thing for lizards) or maybe Douglas Adams (with whom he shares an interest in sardonic aliens and travel through spacetime).”
—Foreword Magazine
“No author has ever captured the great fun of being weird, growing up as a happy mutant, unfettered by convention, as well as Pinkwater has.”
—Boing Boing
“A writer for smart kids . . . Pinkwater writes for, and about, people who are not ashamed to look at life a little differently.”
—Kathy Ceceri, Wired
Praise for Lizard Music
[STARRED REVIEW] “Funny, properly paranoid, shot through with bad puns and sweet absurdities, and all about a baffled kid intent on tracking reality (as slippery as lizards) in a media-spooked milieu.”
—Kirkus
[STARRED REVIEW] “Wildly imaginative . . . This is a natural high.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Hoboken Chicken Emergency
“An uproariously funny and surprisingly sophisticated book.”
—Newsweek
“The story has vitality and rock-the-boat humor.”
—School Library Journal
“A contemporary tall tale that will stretch middle graders’ imagination, sense of humor, and enthusiasm for reading. For absurdity with perfect timing, not many can match.”
—Booklist
Praise for The Neddiad
“This amiable, old-fashioned adventure saga by the droll and prolific Pinkwater is a lot of fun to read, full of unexpected plot twists, LA atmosphere, and goofy names.”
—KLIATT
“The title of this book ought to give you an idea of its goofy wonderfulness . . .What makes this book so delightful—apart from the zaniness of the storyline—is the author’s lively, humane wit.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Pinkwater, master of nostalgia-tinged satire (or is it satire-tinged nostalgia?), sets this very funny encomium to the ’40s in a swath of America stretching from Chicago to L.A.”
—Washington Post
You’re probably familiar with the story of Rip Van Winkle. It was written in 1819 by Washington Irving, but it’s pretty clear he based his story on local legends of which there are a lot. The important part of the story is this Rip Van Winkle goes off into the mountains and meets a lot of little men, short ugly guys with beards, big heads, and little pig eyes. They’re bowling and drinking homemade gin. They give Rip a few drinks, he falls asleep, and when he wakes up it’s twenty years later. It’s a good story, and not hard to find. You can read it for yourself.
The thing I’m working up to is this: In the impossible-to-locate place I come from the men are all short, ugly brutes with beards, big heads, and little pig eyes. I’m relieved to say that the females are nice, but the men are fairly disgusting . . . and there’s bowling and drinking going on. I am not making any claims. I am just laying out the facts. You may draw your own conclusions.