Leeva at Last
- Downloads：5813
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 11:22:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sara Pennypacker
- ISBN：B0BDHQQQX5
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Max
，
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I read this one as a read-aloud to my 8 year-old daughter。 So， I’ll be speaking to her opinions and understanding as well。 I’ll start off by saying we both really enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it every evening。 We both recognized parallels with Matilda， The Willoughbys， and A Series of Unfortunate Events。 All books we have enjoyed reading together。 This book was no more disturbing than their previously mentioned I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I read this one as a read-aloud to my 8 year-old daughter。 So， I’ll be speaking to her opinions and understanding as well。 I’ll start off by saying we both really enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it every evening。 We both recognized parallels with Matilda， The Willoughbys， and A Series of Unfortunate Events。 All books we have enjoyed reading together。 This book was no more disturbing than their previously mentioned counterparts。 Leeva is 8 （or 9， she doesn’t actually know when her birthday is）， she is a neglected child who is trying to understand the purpose of people after a conversation with her truly terrible parents。 The story is intentionally absurdist and anyone concerned that the neglect aspect is “too disturbing” for children is doing children a disservice。 Children’s literature should not be all sunshine and rainbows。 Stories like this show children that chosen family is ok， that we are who we choose to be and not mandated to follow in the footsteps of those who raised us。 The library and its librarian（s） feature as major players in this book。 Both my daughter and I appreciated how important they were in the story， as we love libraries as well。 I’ve read other books written by Sara Pennypacker， most notably the Clementine series， she knows her way around hard situations and has a knack for bringing moments of humor and levity where they’re needed。 Leeva was easy to love and， without spoiling anything， the ending was satisfying for both myself and my daughter。 We would both recommend this one without hesitation。 Perfect choice for fans of Matilda， The Willoughbys， and A Series of Unfortunate Events。 。。。more
Josephine Sorrell
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I’ve read several Pennypaker novels and the Clementine series is my favorite。 The description of this title was intriguing， once again starring a quirky little girl who is named Leeva。 Why the name… oh there is a good explanation。 Leeva Spayce Thornblossom is as neglected as you can get for a 8 or 9 year old （she is not sure how old she is。） Her mother， the town mayor， is self centered and obsessed with fame to the extent that she clears the park to erect a 50 foot tall statue of herself， paid f I’ve read several Pennypaker novels and the Clementine series is my favorite。 The description of this title was intriguing， once again starring a quirky little girl who is named Leeva。 Why the name… oh there is a good explanation。 Leeva Spayce Thornblossom is as neglected as you can get for a 8 or 9 year old （she is not sure how old she is。） Her mother， the town mayor， is self centered and obsessed with fame to the extent that she clears the park to erect a 50 foot tall statue of herself， paid for by the town of course。 Her father is the town treasurer who is obsessed by money， obtaining more money and his calculator。 Unfortunately their daughter can offer nothing to fulfill their desires。 Her parents go so far as to draw up a contract so Leeva must pay back all she takes in the form of food and clothing。 Living an incredibly sheltered life， Leeva looks forward most to the Improve your Vocabulary column in the weekly newspaper。 She learns plenty of wonderful words but never has any opportunity to use them for she speaks to no one but her parents。 She is not allowed to even attend school。 When she discovers the library next door， an entire world opens up to her as she checks out snd reads ten books a day， At the library， she meets Harry and his Aunt Mrs Flowers。 Sneaking out through the hedge， Leeva begins to meet people， discovering whole new worlds。 What she also discovers is the hatred her town has for her parents。 They tax everyone and there are shoe box towers filled with cash in a locked room in her house。 She must keep her true identity a secret from everyone so she doesn’t get judged based on the actions of her parents。This book has been equated to Dahl’s Matilda and I see a bit of Coraline and series of unfortunate events eskness。 This book is funny， Bob is adorable， and Leeva is heartfelt and joyful。 The book character referenced will make avid readers smile。 Now folks don’t get hung up on the parental neglect as the story is obviously meant to be humorous and no way a real life for a little girl， snd of course Leeva triumphs despite her selfish parents。 The “messy” pencil drawings by Pennycker further endeared me to Leeva and newfound friends as well as my loathing of the parents and cheezaroni。 Thus book is fun， quirky， happy and hey you may even learn a new word for your own vocabulary。 。。。more
Carrie
，
As a modern day Matilda， Leeva is a character that will live in your heart if you love books， kindness， and light humor。
Darla
，
Wait until you meet Leeva。 She is trying to find out what it means to be a person。 Why didn't her parents teach her that？ Well， Mr。 Thornblossom is the town treasurer and only condones activities that make money。 Mrs。 Thornblossom is the mayor and only wants to do things that make one more famous。 Taking care of Leeva properly does not fit their criteria。 Young Leeva is home alone a lot。 She has found that working out with Jim and Jilly and their show Vim and Vigor At Any Age and watching her fa Wait until you meet Leeva。 She is trying to find out what it means to be a person。 Why didn't her parents teach her that？ Well， Mr。 Thornblossom is the town treasurer and only condones activities that make money。 Mrs。 Thornblossom is the mayor and only wants to do things that make one more famous。 Taking care of Leeva properly does not fit their criteria。 Young Leeva is home alone a lot。 She has found that working out with Jim and Jilly and their show Vim and Vigor At Any Age and watching her favorite soap opera The Winds of Our Tides show her there is more to life than cooking up blocks of Cheezaroni from the Cheapo Depot。 And did I mention Bob， the badger？ This is a quirky tale with a Dahlesque tone。 When Leeva comes out of her house， watch out。 With her alacrity and righteous indignation， the town of Nutsmore will never be the same again。Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ann
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I'm not quite sure how I feel about Sara Pennypacker's latest work of children's fiction， Leeva at Last。 Equal parts adsurd， funny and quirky， I also felt portions of the book were disturbing and unsettling for children to read。 Greed and fame occupy Leeva's parents' minds to the point that Leeva is an unloved afterthought--leaving her to raise herself， cook for her parents and miss out on things children are supposed to enjoy。。。most notably hugs， love and school。 Thankfully， an endearing cast o I'm not quite sure how I feel about Sara Pennypacker's latest work of children's fiction， Leeva at Last。 Equal parts adsurd， funny and quirky， I also felt portions of the book were disturbing and unsettling for children to read。 Greed and fame occupy Leeva's parents' minds to the point that Leeva is an unloved afterthought--leaving her to raise herself， cook for her parents and miss out on things children are supposed to enjoy。。。most notably hugs， love and school。 Thankfully， an endearing cast of characters come to Leeva's rescue in the form of friends who become family， thus finally proving to Leeva that she is a person of value and capable of being loved。 Unfortunately， Leeva's parents have already left her high and dry in the pursuit of more fame and fortune， thus making the book a little difficult to swallow。 。。。more
thresher
，
I was entranced by Leeva and her sparkling personality！ Filled with a cast of lovable characters inhabiting in charming-yet quirky town。 Readers of all ages will learn the lesson of family being more than those you are related too。 Simply put， reading this book feels like a big hug。
Marisa
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A delightful novel by the author of Clementine。 If you like witty， fun=loving， loveable characters， Leeva is for you。 While some may question the storyline of a little girl brought up by parents who are clearly neglectful， this books is clearly more fictional than anything。 Hence the pet badger。 Besides， Leeva's love or reading and learning， the best part of this book is the message that your path doesn't have to be predetermined。Loved the illustrations as well！ A delightful novel by the author of Clementine。 If you like witty， fun=loving， loveable characters， Leeva is for you。 While some may question the storyline of a little girl brought up by parents who are clearly neglectful， this books is clearly more fictional than anything。 Hence the pet badger。 Besides， Leeva's love or reading and learning， the best part of this book is the message that your path doesn't have to be predetermined。Loved the illustrations as well！ 。。。more
Katie Lynn
，
This book gave me strong Roald Dahl vibes within minutes of starting it。 As I continued to read the similarities to Matilda were uncanny。 The story follows a young girl who is unloved and mistreated by her parents and basically used as a servant to fit their needs。 Like Matilda， the girl finds a love of books and libraries and builds relationships with the townspeople to stop her destructive parents。 The lighthearted attitude towards abuse in this book bothered me， however， I think the story ove This book gave me strong Roald Dahl vibes within minutes of starting it。 As I continued to read the similarities to Matilda were uncanny。 The story follows a young girl who is unloved and mistreated by her parents and basically used as a servant to fit their needs。 Like Matilda， the girl finds a love of books and libraries and builds relationships with the townspeople to stop her destructive parents。 The lighthearted attitude towards abuse in this book bothered me， however， I think the story overall had a good message about the positivity of community and building relationships。 。。。more
Rachel
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I was extremely skeptical after reading the first few chapters， because it seemed like a Matilda knockoff: a highly educated and ambitious girl， despite being raised by self-centered and neglectful parents。 She seeks solace in books， fights against oppression， and ends up with the happy ending we all know she deserves。 However， in this book， the oppressors are the protagonist's par Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I was extremely skeptical after reading the first few chapters， because it seemed like a Matilda knockoff: a highly educated and ambitious girl， despite being raised by self-centered and neglectful parents。 She seeks solace in books， fights against oppression， and ends up with the happy ending we all know she deserves。 However， in this book， the oppressors are the protagonist's parents， rather than an overbearing headmistress， and the oppressed are the town's inhabitants， rather than the students of the school。 I liked that Leeva managed to develop a few close friendships with kids who also had some issues to overcome and， of course， that her beacons of safety and hope are the town librarian and her nephew。 Despite the similarities to Matilda， this was still an enjoyable book that will open up these types of stories to a whole new generation of readers。 。。。more
Trisha
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A girl named Leeva takes on the town。 Her mother the mayor wants only fame， her father the towns treasurer only wants money， Leeva only wants to be seen。 An acting librarian that seemingly knows what everyone in town needs， but not what he needs， but can’t help everyone by himself。 Oh my gosh I loved this book so much I stayed up so late to finish it。 The suspense held onto me like a vise especially toward the end where everything seemed to go as fast as a speeding locomotive but was there anoth A girl named Leeva takes on the town。 Her mother the mayor wants only fame， her father the towns treasurer only wants money， Leeva only wants to be seen。 An acting librarian that seemingly knows what everyone in town needs， but not what he needs， but can’t help everyone by himself。 Oh my gosh I loved this book so much I stayed up so late to finish it。 The suspense held onto me like a vise especially toward the end where everything seemed to go as fast as a speeding locomotive but was there another train on the tracks coming the other way？ And what about that name Leeva？ 。。。more
Mary
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Sara Pennypacker has the ability to convey tremendous emotions even while using comic-book characters such as Leeva’s parents。 What are people for？ A pandemic novel without being about the pandemic。
Dawn
，
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy to review。Are you a fan of Roald Dahl's Matilda？ If yes， then you will enjoy Leeva At Last。What are people for？ That is the questionLeeva Thornblossom was born to bring fame and riches for her parents。 She is not allowed to leave the house except to get the newspaper once a week and accompany he father to the grocery store。 She longs for a friend and to be able to go to school。One day Leeva decides to leave the yard and finds herself at the library。 Wi Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy to review。Are you a fan of Roald Dahl's Matilda？ If yes， then you will enjoy Leeva At Last。What are people for？ That is the questionLeeva Thornblossom was born to bring fame and riches for her parents。 She is not allowed to leave the house except to get the newspaper once a week and accompany he father to the grocery store。 She longs for a friend and to be able to go to school。One day Leeva decides to leave the yard and finds herself at the library。 With the help of the librarian， her nephew， a badger and a boy in a hazmat suit can Leeva find the answer to her question？Sara Pennypacker's books are always a joy to read。 Her characters are loveable。 This definitly has a place in my classroom library。 The illustrations are a nice touch especially when reading with the lower grade levels。 。。。more
Stephanie Willing
，
Such a smart， compassionate， waving-fists-at-injustice kind of a book。 Come for the Roald Dahl-esque parental absurdism， stay for the the heartwarming friendships and the cranky badger。 Highly recommend。
Emily Myhren
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Strong Matilda vibes
Donna
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DRC from Edelweiss and Harper & CollinsFun， fast-paced story about a spunky protagonist and townspeople who become her friends。 Leeva is largely ignored by her parents。 She is not allowed to leave the house except for once a week to grab the newspaper。 She is self educated and a wiz at math。 One day she escapes to the library while her parent are at work and her life changes for the better。 With the help of a librarian， her nephew， a badger， and a boy in a hazmat suit， Leeva sets out to correct DRC from Edelweiss and Harper & CollinsFun， fast-paced story about a spunky protagonist and townspeople who become her friends。 Leeva is largely ignored by her parents。 She is not allowed to leave the house except for once a week to grab the newspaper。 She is self educated and a wiz at math。 One day she escapes to the library while her parent are at work and her life changes for the better。 With the help of a librarian， her nephew， a badger， and a boy in a hazmat suit， Leeva sets out to correct the wrongs her parents have done and save the town。 。。。more
Alissa
，
This book is comparable to， but better than， MATILDA by Roald Dahl。 The writing and voice of this amazing character are simply to be cherished， and devoured。 My 7 year old and I just cried finishing this， and we hope a sequel / series is already planned out， because we both want to grow with Leeva into old age; she is such a delight。 The illustrations are a wonderful touch。 Any book hooks me when it contains hero librarians， but honestly I feel Sara Pennypacker is a heroine for pulling together This book is comparable to， but better than， MATILDA by Roald Dahl。 The writing and voice of this amazing character are simply to be cherished， and devoured。 My 7 year old and I just cried finishing this， and we hope a sequel / series is already planned out， because we both want to grow with Leeva into old age; she is such a delight。 The illustrations are a wonderful touch。 Any book hooks me when it contains hero librarians， but honestly I feel Sara Pennypacker is a heroine for pulling together this utterly charming novel， which I will recommend to adults - as I struggled to put it down when my daughter fell asleep each night。 Perfection。 Brava！！！ 。。。more
Allison
，
Written in the style of Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events， Leeva at Last takes child abuse as humor to a new low。 I know the target audience are youngsters， but this adult can not separate the horror of actual child neglect from the satire of these stories where children are at the mercy of their guardians。 Perhaps the cruelty is a delicious fantasy to well-loved boys and girls whose parents provide them plenty of books and love。 But as a citizen of the world， I have seen too much to em Written in the style of Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events， Leeva at Last takes child abuse as humor to a new low。 I know the target audience are youngsters， but this adult can not separate the horror of actual child neglect from the satire of these stories where children are at the mercy of their guardians。 Perhaps the cruelty is a delicious fantasy to well-loved boys and girls whose parents provide them plenty of books and love。 But as a citizen of the world， I have seen too much to embrace this story as just good fun。 Call me a kill-joy if you want， but I don’t find stories about animal or child cruelty entertaining even with an eventual happy ending。 。。。more
Allison
，
Written in the style of Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events， Leeva at Last takes child abuse as humor to a new low。 I know the target audience are youngsters， but this adult can not separate the horror of actual child neglect from the satire of these stories where children are at the mercy of their guardians。 Perhaps the cruelty is a delicious fantasy to well-loved boys and girls whose parents provide them plenty of books and love。 But as a citizen of the world， I have seen too much to em Written in the style of Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events， Leeva at Last takes child abuse as humor to a new low。 I know the target audience are youngsters， but this adult can not separate the horror of actual child neglect from the satire of these stories where children are at the mercy of their guardians。 Perhaps the cruelty is a delicious fantasy to well-loved boys and girls whose parents provide them plenty of books and love。 But as a citizen of the world， I have seen too much to embrace this story as just good fun。 Call me a kill-joy if you want， but I don’t find stories about animal or child cruelty entertaining even with an eventual happy ending。 。。。more
Sarah
，