Scones and Sensibility

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Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find hearts to mend--beginning with the kite-store owner, Mr. Nightquist, who will pair perfectly with Miss Wiskerton (the unfairly labeled town curmudgeon). Polly's best friend Fran Fisk is in desperate need of a mother ever since hers ran off with a man she met on the Internet; Polly must find a match for Mr. Fisk. And while she's at it, it wouldn't hurt to find Clementine, Polly's teenaged sister, a beau worthy of her (so she can shed that brute, Clint). Polly's plans are in full swing, so she definitely cannot be bothered by the advances of classmate Brad Barker.But maybe Polly should have turned her attention to Miss Austen's Emma next, because she quickly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker. How will Polly patch up her own relationships, while ensuring that destined love can take its course?From School Library JournalGrade 5–7—Polly is a hopeless romantic whose favorite books are Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables. This summer she has decided to adopt her version of the speech patterns of Austen and Montgomery as she strives to find the perfect—in her estimation—romantic partner for her older sister, her best friend's father, and several others, whether they are interested in meeting someone or not. Her attempts at matchmaking have disastrous results for the participants while providing a few chuckles for readers. The book is much too long for the plot and the faux speech gets very old very quickly. The characters, even 12-year-old Polly, are one-dimensional. It would be difficult to find an audience for this book as Austen/Montgomery fans would find it silly and those readers looking for a light comic romance would not wade through it for the little humor and romance it contains.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistGrowing up in a cozy seaside community above her family’s bakery, 12-year-old Polly has always been a romantic. After she reads Pride and Prejudice, though, her yen for successful love stories spills over into daily life, and she determines to spend her summer matchmaking among the locals. Of course, everything goes horribly awry, and Polly is forced to confront the impact of her meddling: “This isn’t your dumb Green Gables or England or whatever. This is real life!” says her furious best friend. To better emulate her favorite book’s “enchanting heroine,” Polly narrates in a mannered, archaic voice (“I vow to call you on the morrow!”) that may try some readers’ patience but provides comedic moments in her mixed metaphors and the curt responses she receives: “Put a cork in it,” growls her sister. The plot is as light as pastry filling, but young romantics may recognize themselves in Polly and in her puzzlement over the way love and attraction happen in the twenty-first century, beyond the pages of books. Grades 4-7. --Gillian Engberg