A wonderfully whimsical debut that proves ordinary people can do extraordinary things
In the mountain town of Remarkable, everyone is extraordinarily talented, extraordinarily gifted, or just plain extraordinary. Everyone, that is, except Jane Doe, the most average ten-year-old who ever lived. But everything changes when the mischievous, downright criminal Grimlet twins enroll in Jane's school and a strange pirate captain appears in town.
Thus begins a series of adventures that put some of Remarkable's most infamous inhabitants and their long-held secrets in danger. It's up to Jane, in her own modest style, to come to the rescue and prove that she is capable of some rather exceptional things.
With a page-turning mystery and larger-than-life cast of characters, Lizzie K. Foley's debut is nothing short of remarkable.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
My daughter and I agree! It's "Remarkable"!
By Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews
This review consists of two parts: 1. My daughter's review (she's 9) and 2. My review (the Mom). These are excerts. For the full review, please visit us at our website. **This book was provided to us free-of-charge through a First Reads Goodreads giveaway.**DAUGHTER SAYS:What I liked and disliked about it:I liked that some people weren't really who they were and they were actually somebody else. That made the story more interesting. I liked the Lake Monster named Lucky because she was cute and it was cool that only some people could see her. I wouldn't like to be in Jane's family because everybody was always too busy and they all pretty much ignore her.Even if it was a long book, it was not too hard to read it. I didn't like that Jane's Grandpa had to go to jail - that part of the story made me sad.My bottom line:I loved, loved, loved this book. I think girls and boys my age and older would also love, love, love this book.MOM SAYS:What I liked and disliked about it:I knew once I read the preface to the book, that I was going to really enjoy reading it. In fact, I would say that the preface is necessary in setting the tone for the book: wry, quirky, and whimsical. Foley's descriptions of the people in Remarkable, their inner thought processes, and the dialogue between characters had me laughing out loud.Outside of Jane who is largely ordinary, each of the characters is so over-the-top outrageous but Foley describes them in such a way that you can imagine the people in your life having those same characteristics in real life - only in this book, it would multiplied by 100. For example, her busy architect Mom writes family-related action items as reminders to herself: Action Item #27: Demonstrate interest in Jane's life by asking her about school.Even the way that the characters boast about their remarkableness is hilarious. Here is Jane's Dad offering to drive the parrot to Grandmama's house: "I could take a little break as a reward for all of the brilliant writing I've been doing on my novel today." They all talk in a similar way and talk down to Jane: Jane's sister Penelope Hope to Jane: "Maybe...you could convince Mom and Dad that you're gifted at being unremarkable. Maybe they'd let you go to the gifted school then."But the real beauty of the book is watching the debacles of the "remarkable" citizens of Remarkable and seeing the triumph of the ordinary citizens, Jane and her Grandfather. You'll find yourself shaking your head and rolling your eyes at the "remarkables" and rooting for Jane and her Grandfather throughout.My bottom line:This book was such a delight to read - loved it. It is aimed at 8+ (I believe). My daughter read it just after she turned 9 and really enjoyed it. It is quite lengthy and challenging for an 8/9 year old but such a great read!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
A Cheery Reminder that No One is Insignificant!
By M. Lee
As a mother who screens everything her 13-year-old daughter reads, I thought the book "Remarkable" was most worthy of mention when I came across it. Aside from the really attractive cover art, the story itself is a boon to anyone who's ever felt ... average. Written in a style similar to Ellen Potter's "Pish Posh", Leslie M. M. Blume's "Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters" and Gitty Daneshvari's "School of Fear" series, the book is peppered with quirky characters and loopy presumptions - but it all works, and makes for a really light-hearted, fun read, maybe by the pool with some cupcakes and lemonade. Older readers may also enjoy China Meiville's slightly more gritty, longer but (to me) even funnier book, "Un Lun Dun," in how the least remarkable character, most unlikely hero is never really quite that. For a quick pick-me-up on a day when your hair just isn't looking quite right, and when someone you just plucked up enough courage to say "Hi" to asks if you could set your best friend up with him (her) instead ... "Remarkable" is a cute reminder that those of us least noticed are very often those most deserving of note. Said daughter's review follows:"'Remarkable' by Lizzie K. Foley is a very funny, interesting book."Have you ever wondered where remarkable people go to live? The musicians who rival Mozart, the scientists who win three Nobel Prizes, the artists and authors whose works are known all over the globe?"They all live in Remarkable."In the quaint town of Remarkable, *everyone* is remarkable: they either have perfect pitch, a dog that's won 61 national dog shows, are able to make perfect pies or something else. Either way, they are all remarkable."Everyone, that is, except for Jane."Jane Doe, middle daughter of Angeline Mona Linda Doe (world famous architect) and Anderson Brigby Bright Doe II (award-winning novelist), is one of the two unremarkable people in Remarkable. Her hair is just so-so, her eyes are not quite anything really, her IQ is just average, and she has no special talent whatsoever to speak of. Her grandfather is the other. But this story is not about Jane's grandfather (though he does play a part in it) - it is about Jane, and Jane's remarkable adventure involving a weather machine, pirates, bells, a lake monster and a famous musician called Ysquibel."My favorite character was definitely Jane's little sister Penelope. She was really nice and practical, and she actually *cares* about Jane; unlike Jane's big brother, who is *way* too full of himself; and Jane's mother, who is too caught up in pretending that she is the perfect mother; and Jane's father, who is too caught up in his work to notice anything. My second favorite was, of course, Jane. However, the reason why I didn't really like Jane as much as I like Penelope is that the author made her so weak and listless. I mean, us ordinary, unremarkable people can't be *that* bad, can we?!"I would give the book four stars: two stars for the plot, one star for the characters, and one star for the cute cover. I would have given it five stars, except for the listless Jane thing, and, also, I wish that the author had a scene when Jane's family *finally* notices her. That would have been nice."
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.Pirates! Sea monsters! Not-so-evil twins! Welcome to the world of Remarkable....
By nomdeplume
Everyone loves an underdog story, where the good if overlooked character triumphs over all the shallow more flashy characters. (See: Ugly Duckling vs. Swan) Lizzie Foley has written a lively, quirky, affectionate middle grade book (I promise in this review not to overuse the word remarkable) teeming with colorful characters with wonderful names (e.g.: Ludwig von Savage, Lucinda Wilhelmena Hinojosa, Anderson Brigby Bright, Captain Rojo Herring, Mrs. Zenforia Devorah Ffyff-Smithington) who all live in that rarified town known as Remarkable. Yes, Remarkable is the type of town where everyone answers to at least three names.Our heroine has the misfortune of being an, on the surface, average girl born into a highly above average family, that lives in a town full of brilliant over-achievers...along with a few scallywags and math whizzes. "Now all babies are beautiful, but some babies are less beautiful than others, and then there are some babies who are just beautifully plain." Enter Jane Doe, a girl whose only crime is that she is average. In that town, Jane might as well be invisible, her only claim to fame being that she might be an authority on mediocrity, a condition no one else could possibly know anything about. Jane's grandpa is also under-degreed and un-sparkly, so they are fast friends and cohorts, strange allies who move through their days virtually invisible UNTIL suddenly they both find themselves up rubbing elbows with pirates, getting thrown in jail, (Grandpa John a real jail, Jane a birdcage) keeping secrets, and having something to do with a weather machine. The book is great fun and the dialogue a joy, where people say things like : "How dare you! As a prizewinning novelist, I order you to take those cuffs off immediately!" And of course there is a lot of entertaining pirate-speak. As Grandpa says: "It's the problem with Remarkable, you know. Everyone is so busy being talented, or special, or gifted, or wonderful at something that sometimes they forget to be happy." But don't worry, Remarkable is also a place where there are only happy endings.
