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Early Book Review: Quinny & Hopper by Adriana Brad Schanen, Greg Swearingen

Quinny & Hopper by is a children's chapter book written by Adriana Brad Schanen and illustrated by Greg Swearingen. The book is currently scheduled for release on June 10 2014. This is a book about to very different kids finding a the best kind of friendship. Quinny has just moved from New York City to a big farmhouse in a tiny town. It is there that see meet Hopper, a crazy chicken, and a grumpy older neighbor. Quinny has a lot to say and never seems to stop moving while Hopper gets to the point and proceeds with caution. Quinny has some very big ideas, while
Hopper comes up with smart solutions. The pair could not be more different, but together they can do anything. Can Quinny and Hopper stick together in the face of social pressures at school and the hunt for a crazed chicken?

Quinny & Hopper is a fun and heart warming tale about children finding their best friends, and the best in themselves. In the summer before third grade Quinny, and big hair, smiles, and ideas finds herself in a tiny town with nothing familiar but her family, which includes two little sisters with less than sanitary habits. Hopper spends his days trying to avoid his older brothers and building bone models. They do not seem like a perfect pair, but like most children they will surprise you. Their well fleshed out characters struggle with themselves and expectations others have of them and the world in general, while still making the reader chuckle. I think children and adults can find something to relate to and enjoy in this book.

I recommend Quinny & Hopper to early chapter book readers, families to share, and library collections. There is a lesson in the story about being true to yourself and your friends, but it is not a lesson that comes off as preachy. Rather, young readers just might come away from this book with a new appreciation for the 'different' kids and wonder if they could be just as great of a friend as Quinny or Hopper.

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