I had a few ideas of what directions this book might take. None of those ideas involved an army of penguins in an ice submarine fighting an ancient sea witch. It's that weird. If it had a more comedic tone I would probably enjoy it more but it seems to take itself pretty seriously..

Just in time for the holiday season we get a story that shows how much warmth exists in the cold.

Ruby’s sense of humor really shines through this funny story perfect for kids and the adults who need a little return to the magic of childhood. The jokes he sprinkles about his story, the side of compassion and love he integrates between his characters will all bring a smile to your face as you work your way through this delightful tale.

As avid readers we can all connect to Penelope in some way thanks to her curious nature and sense of adventure. Children will find themselves rooting for her success and hoping she find some happiness and connection in her life as she doesn’t seem to have much in the way of friends. She does have a wonderful relationship in Miles so all is not lost.

The action and fast pace will make it easy to stay glued to the pages so you can discover how exactly Penelope is going to shoulder her responsibility of having to save a whole town. Despite its length it felt like a very quick read so I wouldn’t let the number of pages scare off any of the younger readers.

It’s written for and geared towards middle school, older elementary age children and for them it’s written perfectly. I think adults may have some problems but if you have to remember it’s not written for you and the things you find lacking kids think are cool.

I always run these kinds of books by my kids and let them help me review them and they loved it so I based the above opinions on their feelings. They would love to go on more adventures with Penelope.