Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package (Tales from Deckawoo Drive Series #4)

by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

Overview

What will it take for a cynical older sister to realize she’s a born accordion player — with music in her heart?

Eugenia Lincoln is a practical person with no time for gee-gaws, whoop-de-whoops, or frivolity. When an unexpected package containing an accordion arrives at her house, she is determined to have nothing to do with it. But her plans to sell the accordion, destroy the accordion, and give the accordion away all end in frustration. How can Eugenia stop being tormented by this troublesome package? Might she discover that a bit of unforeseen frivolity could be surprisingly . . . joyous?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536203530
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Series:	Tales from Mercy Watson's Deckawoo Drive , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	80,125
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including the Mercy Watson and Tales from Deckawoo Drive series. Her books Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux both received Newbery Medals. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Minneapolis.

Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of The Circus Ship, King Hugo’s Huge Ego, Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit, and Hattie & Hudson, and the illustrator of the Mercy Watson and Tales from Deckawoo Drive series as well as Mac Barnett’s President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath. Chris Van Dusen lives in Maine.

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

March 25, 1964

Place of Birth:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Florida at Gainesville, 1987

Editorial Reviews

Van Dusen’s illustrations enliven the already amusing text. A great addition to chapter book shelves and a must-have for fans of the series.
—School Library Journal

The text is peppered with tough vocabulary for the more advanced independent readers in the intended age group, but the story also works well as a bedtime read-aloud for those not ready to tackle words and phrases such as "malevolent," "obtuse," or "diametrically opposed" on their own. Eugenia's need for routine and her intolerance of change and uncertainty will resonate with readers who experience life similarly.
—Kirkus Reviews

As in the earlier books, believable (if eccentric) personalities, sophisticated vocabulary, and polished prose make this an inviting title for emerging chapter- book readers. Fans of this series and the earlier Mercy Watson books will be amazed by Eugenia’s partial redemption and delight that the results are merely temporary.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
Gr 1–3—Someone has sent Eugenia Lincoln an unexpected package. Readers who recognize the uptight, domineering, elderly elder sister from the series will know that Eugenia does not like surprises. When the surprise turns out to be something as frivolous as an accordion, it simply must go. What follows is a humorous adventure as Eugenia struggles to return, sell, destroy, and finally accept the despised musical instrument. Many residents of Deckawoo Drive make appearances and give opinions on what poor Eugenia should do. Finally, only one real question remains: Who dared send the accordion in the first place? Van Dusen's illustrations enliven the already amusing text. VERDICT A great addition to chapter book shelves and a must-have for fans of the series.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

School Library Journal

Narrator Lorna Raver knows Eugenia Lincoln and her sister, Baby, from the inside out. She takes the narration from cranky to imperious to almost tender and back again with ease. When Eugenia’s predictable life is disturbed, greatly, by the arrival of an unreturnable package, Eugenia has to contend with the contents and with all the neighbors, who are suddenly interested in the mysterious arrival. Raver narrates with enthusiasm. Her narration is purposeful, carefully paced, and rich with the personalities of Deckawoo Drive, each with a distinctive voice. Saving her best for Eugenia. Raver’s voice is firm, no nonsense, and bursting with cantankerous opinions and a tone of decisive actions. Now, what did Eugenia receive, and who sent it? A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2017 - AudioFile

Narrator Lorna Raver knows Eugenia Lincoln and her sister, Baby, from the inside out. She takes the narration from cranky to imperious to almost tender and back again with ease. When Eugenia’s predictable life is disturbed, greatly, by the arrival of an unreturnable package, Eugenia has to contend with the contents and with all the neighbors, who are suddenly interested in the mysterious arrival. Raver narrates with enthusiasm. Her narration is purposeful, carefully paced, and rich with the personalities of Deckawoo Drive, each with a distinctive voice. Saving her best for Eugenia. Raver’s voice is firm, no nonsense, and bursting with cantankerous opinions and a tone of decisive actions. Now, what did Eugenia receive, and who sent it? A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2017 - AudioFile

2017-07-17
Mercy Watson's neighbors, the Lincoln Sisters of 52 Deckawoo Drive, return in their second adventure, and now it's elder sister Eugenia's turn in the spotlight.Eugenia Lincoln is a sensible, no-nonsense, practical person. She does not have time for "poetry, geegaws, whoop-de-whoops, or frivolity," and she definitely does not have time for oversize, unexpected packages. However, someone has sent Eugenia just that. It's an accordion, and it has to go—she can't think of anything more "frivolous, more geegaw-esque, more whoop-de-whoop-ish than an accordion." The Blizzintrap Schmocker Company won't take it back, so she makes a list of the choices before her: sell it, destroy it, or give it away. Can Eugenia be convinced to keep it—and that maybe there is music in her heart? Artwork shows what the text doesn't: elderly Eugenia's younger sister, "Baby," is also an old white woman, and neighborhood kids Frank and Stella are black. The text is peppered with tough vocabulary for the more advanced independent readers in the intended age group, but the story also works well as a bedtime read-aloud for those not ready to tackle words and phrases such as "malevolent," "obtuse," or "diametrically opposed" on their own. Eugenia's need for routine and her intolerance of change and uncertainty will resonate with readers who experience life similarly. (Fiction. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews