Also by illustrated by Brett Helquist: The Penultimate Peril (Book 12): The Vile Village (Book 7) The Ersatz Elevator (Book 6) The Austere Academy (Book 5) The Miserable Mill (Book 4) The Wide Window (Book 3) The Reptile Room (Book 2) The Bad Beginning (Book 1) The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton, illustrated by Brett Helquist Ages 9-12 352 pages Dial December 2010 Hardcover     Author Jennifer Trafton takes the old adage “Let sleeping giants lie” and turns it on its head. In her debut book, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, heroine Persimmony Smudge inadvertently stumbles upon information that proves the rising and falling mountain at the center of The Island at the Center of Everything is in fact the belly of a sleeping giant. The Leafeaters, disloyal to the selfish king, continue to dig toward the giant’s feet in search of gold, the whole island is at risk. “If the giant wakes up and rises, then the entire mountain will erupt and crumble to the ground, causing unimaginable destruction below.” As Persimmony and a cast of bumbling creatures set off on a quest to save the island, Persimmony uncovers information regarding a mystery close to her heart. Can she save the island and herself? The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic is a fanciful novel built around a bizarre and sometimes ridiculous fantasy world. The silliness of the story could be construed as corny or clichéd, but that is what makes it so extraordinarily irresistible. A cross between The Hobbit and Captain Underpants, this book is destined to be a classic.     web reviews   Niki Masse Schoenfeldt/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)