The Grudge Keeper:

Title: The Grudge Keeper
Author: Mara Rockliff
Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Age Range: 4 to 8 years
Length: 32 pages

Book Description:

No one in the town of Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. No one, that is, except old Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper.
The townspeople of Bonnyripple count on Cornelius to file away their tiffs and huffs, squabbles and snits. But when a storm flings the people together and their grudges to the wind, will the Grudge Keeper be out of a job?
This timely and entertaining story is beautifully conveyed through Rockliff’s witty wordplay and Wheeler’s elegant illustrations.

My  Thoughts:

“No one in the town of Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. No one, that is, except old Cornelius the Grudge Keeper. ”

When a book starts with an opening like this, you cannot help but be drawn in! I simply adore the illustrations in this book. Vintage style ink and watercolor paintings which use a combination of light and color to reflect the mood of the characters and the accompanying text are perfect for the story.

The concept for this story is unique and sweet. As stated in the opening lines, no one in Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. Of course, they simply handed it over to their local Grudge Keeper, old Cornelius. Soon, the town’s grudges filled up every corner and every nook in Cornelius’s cottage. But will this sustain a community?

Soon, on one stormy day, strong winds laid all those stacked grudges, literally to rubble. And poor old Cornelius – well, he was nowhere to be found. Calm, as always followed the storm. The townspeople, who had held on to their grudges during the storm, made their way to Cornelius to hand over their grudges. And he was missing!

What happened to him? What did the citizens of Bonnyripple do next – with their grudges, with all that had happened? Did they look for their Grudge Keeper? Read the book for yourself to find out and go ahead and order it with the helpful links below. Every click below will help me 🙂

Extra, Extra:

a) Younger kids, who have not yet learnt what a grudge is (and how wonderful is that age!), might not need this book yet, or might need it explained to them! Helpful for those with siblings with grudges 🙂

b) While the book is definitely an easy read and great to read aloud, it also contains words like imbroglios and similar, which are big words for the target audience. A vocabulary builder, indeed – kids will learn new words for a grudge!

c) Suggested activities by yours truly are included here. Would love to hear your feedback on these suggested activities. 

d) You can read about the making of this book here. I enjoyed the journey from an idea to a finished book. And you can read an excerpt of the book here.

Rating: 5/5
Reading Level:  4 – 8 years (younger kids will need some help, while older kids and adults will also enjoy this read)
Reread Level: 4/5

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Disclaimer: Since the eARC (Advance Review Copy) of the books from NetGalley expired a while ago, I acquired a copy of the book to read again and review it well. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the initial eARC of this book and introducing me to the same.

Question to you, dear readers: What do you do with grudges? Or how do you handle grudges held between your kids? Let me know!

Writing this post as a series for the Ultimate Blog Challenge and Write 31 Days.  31 Days, 31 Books! This is for Day Ten (FINALLY!)

Day 0 Day 1  Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5  Day 6  Day 7 Day 8 Day 9  Day 10 Day 11  Day 12 Day 13   Day 14