The Adventures of Isabelle Necessary


Children - Preteen
246 Pages
Reviewed on 04/20/2020
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite

When her parents take off on one of their many work adventures, Isabelle is happy to stay with her Great-Aunt Emma in her little retirement village bungalow. Emma’s friends help make every day an exciting, often unexpected adventure. Mr. Bigg, who isn’t so big, is a former circus worker. Uncle Knock-knock loves jokes and is quite the handyman. With their help, Isabelle rescues a tiny kitten from a water drain. Great-Aunt Emma names the kitten Draino, adding to the cast of essential characters. Madame Monique’s unruly poodle only understands French. Halfway Percy owns the village market and often interrupts a sale to go fishing, leaving the last customer in charge of the store until his return. With her own friends Tammy and Nin, Isabelle Necessary is never at a loss for things to do.

The Adventures of Isabelle Necessary by author Martii MacLean and illustrator Sharon Clark is a must-read for every spirited and adventurous youngster. Martii MacLean is my new middle-grade author hero. Isabelle Necessary is exactly the quirky character that will touch, no, hold the reader’s heart for long after the last page is turned. MacLean’s colorful characters provide a seemingly never-ending family of quirky residents of a retirement village in the community of Saggy Beach. Fun imagery (“lazily pedaling backward” and “she was a girl with a beach face”) and quaint settings make this an endearing read. In this collection of fifteen episodes, author Martii McLean fashions the perfect reading adventure for even the most reluctant of readers.