Laurel Snyder Book Title: Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains Publication Date: August 26, 2008 Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers ISBN: 0375847197 Author's Website: http://laurelsnyder.com

Description of Book:

This is the tale of Lucy ( a milkmaid)  and her best friend, Wynston (who happens to be a prince, though that's not really his fault). Until recently, they spent their days wandering their corner of the Bewilderness-- paddling in the river, picking blackberries, and teasing each other mercilessly. But now, King Desmond has insisted that Wynston devote every spare second to ruby-shining and princess-finding.

Lucy feels left out. So she sets off for the Scratchy Mountains to solve the mystery of her missing mother. When Wynston discovers that Lucy is gone, he tears after her, and (along with an ornery young cow and a sniffly prairie dog) they embark on a series of strange and wonderful adventures.

About the Author:

Laurel Snyder was raised in Baltimore, Maryland, which is a wonderful Bewilderness all its own.  A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a commentator for NPR's All Things Considered, Laurel has also written several books of poems (for grownups, mostly) and a picture book, Inside the Slidy Diner.  She lives with her husband and two amazing sons  in Atlanta, Georgia, and online at LaurelSnyder.com.  Occasionally she also rants about books at Kid*Lit(erary).

Excerpt:

There before Wynston's eyes was a very round bottom—an enormous round bottom in a pair of yellow britches. The bottom was wedged tightly into a huge stew pot sitting on the large fireplace at the center of the room.  The legs connected to the bottom wiggled furiously.  The head and arms connected to it were, of course, hidden inside the pot.  No matter how the legs wiggled and the feet kicked, the bottom would not budge.  The fireplace, thank goodness, was cold.

Once he’d stopped laughing, Wynston flew to the rescue of the large round bottom in the yellow britches.   You might wonder how Wynston knew what to do in such a sticky situation.  But if you’ve ever eaten a jar of gooseberry jam with your fingers (which Wynston had done, at Lucy’s urging) and then gotten your jammy fist stuck tightly in the jam jar (which Wynston had also done), then you know the answer...

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