Reviewed by
Dianne Bates
Pernilla
(Peanut) Jones is a creative and imaginative child who does not believe that
her father has deliberately left home. She is angry that her mother is already
dating and bored with her new school. When she finds a pen left behind by her
dad, she discovers it has magical qualities: when she draws a door on a large
piece of paper, she finds that she can open it. Inside, she finds herself in another world
called Chroma. She is convinced this is where they will find her father. She confides
this to her friend Rockwell, and they enter what turns out to be a parallel
world of illustrations. The two are followed by Little-Bit, Peanut’s 5-year-old
sister. Inside, they follow a living, breathing (but drawn) dog, Doodles.
The mayor of
Chroma is Mr White, a tyrant who wants to destroy every scrap of creativity and
beauty. They soon meet Mrs M who says that Peanut’s father has been in the city
of illustrations, but she believes he is in prison with her husband. The three children
trek through the landscape in search of him, Peanut drawing objects (such as a bobsled and
glider) which they need along the way. The three are helped by an alligator
called Jonathan Higginbottom and people who belong to the Resistance. They meet numerous problems along the way, including nasty bulldog police officers and other
enemies, but are saved by Table Guy, a clever version of Superman.
This is a
highly imaginative, fast-paced adventure book about friendship and creativity with
black, grey, and white illustrations on every page. Peanut's search for her dad
continues in the next book in the series, Peanut Jones and the Twelve
Portals. Highly recommended.
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