Running her family’s magical bookshop in 1944, Poppy must make a decision that could change everything when her brother’s best friend is killed in the war and he wants to use the magic of the shop to save him. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

"Running her family's magical bookshop in 1944, Poppy must make a decision that could change everything when her brother's best friend is killed in the war and he wants to use the magic of the shop to save him"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

This moving story about a magical bookstore explores the way war can shape a family and is perfect for book lovers everywhere, especially fans of Pages & Co., Pax, and Wolf Hollow.

It’s 1944 Sutton, NY, and Poppy’s family owns and runs, Rhyme and Reason, a magical bookshop that caters to people from all different places and time periods. Though her world is ravaged by World War II, customers hail from the past and the future, infusing the shop with a delightful mix of ideas and experiences.
 
Poppy dreams of someday becoming shopkeeper like her father, though her older brother, Al, is technically next in line for the job. She knows all of the rules handed down from one generation of Bookseller to the next, especially their most important one: shopkeepers must never use the magic for themselves.
 
But then Al’s best friend is killed in the war and her brother wants to use the magic of the shop to save him. With her father in the hospital suffering from a mysterious illness, the only one standing between Al and the bookstore is Poppy. Caught between her love for her brother and loyalty to her family, she knows her brother’s actions could have devastating consequences that reach far beyond the bookshop as an insidious, growing Darkness looms. This decision is bigger than Poppy ever dreamed, and the fate of the bookshops hangs in the balance. - (Penguin Putnam)

Mindy Thompson writes fantastical stories for middle grade readers. Mindy holds a B.A. in creative writing and spent ten years working in public and middle school libraries. She began writing upper middle grade with her past students in mind and hopes to give them a place to find themselves in the books they read. Mindy lives with her sister-turned-roommate in Southern Idaho and spends too much time watching historical beauty tutorials online. She believes everyone has magic inside of themselves, they only need have the courage to seek it.
- (Penguin Putnam)

Booklist Reviews

While WWII rages overseas, Poppy spends much of her life in her family's magical New York City bookstore, and it's no wonder: the front door acts as a sort of portal, miraculously pulling in people in need of hope from different decades and locations. The extraordinary shop, prone to emotional outbursts, is one of a string of similar stores scattered about, all part of a long tradition of magical bookshop keeping. Each shop abides by strict guidelines—the most crucial rule stating that no personnel can use the time magic for themselves—though when tragedy strikes, Poppy's older brother desperately plots to skirt the regulations and set their world right again. This excruciating test of Poppy's loyalty takes all of her kindness and creativity to keep her family, bookstore, and larger world safe. It's a splendid setup, and the story takes the time to establish the cozy bookshop world while adding enough twists to keep things interesting, with details to delight in, and emotional avenues to explore. Stop by this bookshop for a magical, moving tale. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

All bookshops feel magical, but even so, Rhyme and Reason is special. Thirteen-year-old Poppy Fulbright is lucky enough to work in and live above one of the most magical bookshops of all time. In fact, time is precisely why it is unique. Sutton, New York, in 1944 isn't the only time and place in which Rhyme and Reason exists: Poppy's family's magical bookshop appears to patrons whenever they need it most, regardless of the year or where they are located. The magic that exists within the shop comes with its own set of rules, and they're strictly enforced by the Council. When Carl, the best friend of Poppy's older brother, Al, dies while fighting in World War II, Al wants to break the rules and use the time-traveling magic of the bookshop to save his life. This historical fantasy is whimsical yet bittersweet given the subject matter. While the premise is engaging, the lackluster plot would have benefited from deeper character development and more expansive worldbuilding. Despite this, the book could appeal to readers who understand the magic that a dusty old bookshop can contain and who appreciate the power of the perfect book. Most characters are cued as White; the shop courier and the Council Leader have brown skin. A simple tale of family, friendship, and the magic of reading. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

PW Annex Reviews

Set in 1944 in Sutton, N.Y., against the backdrop of WWII, this moving examination of pain and power stars bookish, white 13-year-old Poppy Fulbright, who must navigate the painful death of a friend, her brother's all-consuming grief, and their father's sudden illness while managing the family's magical, moody bookshop, which appears to individuals throughout time who need books and community. Despite the promise that she and her brothers, nine-year-old James and 18-year-old Allan, would adhere to the shop's generations-old rules—including never using its magic for their own gain—Poppy begins to suspect something is amiss when the store begins acting out of character. Worried that Allan is at fault and determined to set things right, Poppy enlists the help of Theo Devlin, a young white shopkeeper at another magical store who understands Poppy's heartache; 14-year-old Ollie Bell, the energetic, light brown–skinned courier who delivers to the shop; and regulars at the shop whom Poppy has come to consider family. Just as the sentient, time-traveling bookstore functions as a comforting haven, Thompson's poignant debut offers an opportunity for readers to gently explore the ways in which people respond to and accept loss. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Oct.)