Remarkable

Gr 4–6—The town of Remarkable is, well, remarkable. Everyone has an extraordinary talent—except for 10-year-old Jane Doe. Her family is exceptional, although forgetful of her existence, consisting of a math genius, an artist, an award-winning novelist, and a world-class architect. Jane's mother is designing an exceptional bell tower for the only unremarkable building in town: the post office. The bells are set to play a piece by the most famous composer in the world, who has since disappeared. Unfortunately, Jane's grandfather has stolen all the ropes in the tower. He has an extraordinary secret, though, involving the town's lake monster (of course, more remarkable than the Loch Ness Monster). Side stories of Jane's brother being in love, a pirate captain trying to be something she's not, a composer trying to be a pirate captain, three pirates on a mission, and a jelly crisis with a neighboring town coalesce around the bell tower and are resolved in the end. Jane realizes that she can contribute and that some people do remember her and understand her needs. There is much to chuckle at here. The antics of the Grimlet twins, whose mischief is so wicked that they get expelled from the school for the Remarkably Gifted, and the outlandishness of the residents' talents adds to the comedy, but with so many characters and their backstories, the book reads more like a far-fetched soap opera than a cohesive whole. Jane's coming to grips with her ordinariness and how being average has its advantages is also thrown into the mix. Ultimately, this story ends up being rather unremarkable.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA