Kidsmomo

You’ve probably heard of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, who lives in the town of Little Spring Valley in an upside-down house with her many pets. Well, after many years as a friend to children everywhere, she’s packed up her bags in search of her husband the pirate, and asked her grandniece Missy Piggle-Wiggle to stop in on the upside-down house and look after matters while she’s away…

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s magical adventures began many years ago (1947, in fact!) when Betty MacDonald wrote the first book in the series. Missy’s new stories start now, in Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure, written by beloved author Ann M. Martin! There’s no one better than the author of The Baby-sitter’s Club series to put a new twist on fun tales about kids and their curious ailments — like the very contagious I-Never-Said-itis and a case of the Whatevers.

Even though Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is mentioned, you can definitely enjoy this book without reading the original series — but the original series are worth the read, because they’re a hoot. They were illustrated by the wonderful Maurice Sendak, and Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure includes really fun drawings by Ben Hatke, the author and illustrator of the awesome Zita the Spacegirl series. Seriously, I didn’t think a drawing of civilized Lester the Pig sitting cross-legged could make me laugh so much:

Click the image to see it full-size!

This book is just plain old-fashioned FUN! I don’t want to spoil too much of the book, but here are some tidbits: Missy meets many families and shopkeepers of Little Spring Valley, including the quirky bookseller, Harold Spectacle. There may or may not have been a burst of glitter in the air when they met. But best of all, the children of Little Spring Valley are all whimsically absurd and relatable in their own way — the Freeforall children (Honoriah, Petulance, and Frankfort) are a handful, and Melody Flowers is quite shy, and here are just some of the “cures” Missy has to mix up:

• The Greediness Cure
• The Tardiness Cure (I might need that one)
• The Know-it-all-Cure
• The I-Spy Cure
• The Gum-Smacking Cure
• The Whatever Cure
• The Just-One-More-Minute Cure

Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure by Ann M. Martin is a giggle-worthy read, and I hope there are more planned for this reboot of the series. If you’ve picked it up, what did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

— Nancy

Nancy would also like Missy to look into the Don’t-Eat-Every-Donut Cure, which is likely tangentially related to the Greediness ailment.