Peachaloo in Bloom

Waiting for Guffman meets Parks and Recreation for middle grade readers, in this one-of-a-kind illustrated novel from Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka, where a wasp sting grants Peachaloo a useful new superpower.

Two very large things have just happened to Peachaloo Piccolozampa. First, she's discovered a plot to ruin her favorite swimming hole and replace it with a golf course. Second, a wasp sting has given her the superpower to understand the truth behind what people say.

Peachaloo knows a golf course is not the destiny for the grounds of the Ajax Mansion, a former monastery whose jump-roping denizens proclaimed it freely open to all. But the mansion's new owner has other ideas--and has managed to bury the evidence of the Brothers and Sisters' wishes. Now it's up to Peachaloo to use her superpower to prove this villain a liar, star in the annual pageant, and somehow get her town back the way it's supposed to be.

Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka proves as deft with pen as paintbrush in this sizzlingly witty tale of Extraordinary Wasp Perception, oyster-slinging bank robbers, and a community standing strong against the forces of greed and real estate. Illustrations sprinkled throughout paint a small town entirely unique and yet all too familiar to readers across the U.S. Readers of all ages won't want to miss the next train to the big-hearted, peculiar, one-of-a-kind town of Fourwords.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Chris Raschka
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Published: 07/01/2025
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.70w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780823458554
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.7
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 554634 / Peachaloo in Bloom


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/21/2025
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2025
Booklist 06/01/2025 pg. 87
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2025 pg. 104
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Medal-winning and Hans Christian Andersen Award-nominated author and illustrator of dozens of books for young readers, including A Ball for Daisy, Yo! Yes?, The Hello, Goodbye Window (written by Norton Juster) and Nothing: John Cage and 4'33" (written by Nicholas Day). He is also a violist. He lives in New York City.