- a whimsical fantasy world of quiet little people who banish 5 of their own for not conforming to ridiculous community rules
- These outcasts discover a danger that far exceeds the disappointment of their old friends and neighbors
- themes include individuality, courage, friendship, and unity
- convo: a battle in which many foes are killed, but it stays clear of gore, violent descriptions, etc. The deaths are all on the enemies’ side, but the victors do have some temporary injuries.
- language: x1 idiot, x3 stupid
Type: chapter book
Ages: 8-14
Author: Carol Kendall
Fellow parents, I must admit this is one of my top favorite chapter books. It’s a comfort-cozy story that I recently enjoyed re-reading deeply in preparation to teach it in a literature class. Our discussions were just delightful. Perhaps that’s the best way to read this book–with others!
The little people are called Minnipins, and they are a quiet, orderly community–one of 12 villages in an isolated valley between mountains. Readers will love their unique names, funny mistakes with their world’s history, and the head-scratching rules they try to enforce. The author does a fantastic job at connecting us with the characters.
When our five main Minnipins are kicked out of the village, we get to adventure alongside them as they set up a new life for themselves. Each person increasingly comes into his or her own as, for the first time in their lives, their new freedom allows them to strengthen their natural gifts and talents.
The peace and tranquility of their new setting is quickly interrupted, however, and enemies with poisonous spears break into their valley with ferocity. Working together is the only way the Minnipins will have a chance to conquer them.
Honestly, I went down so many delicious rabbit holes in class preparation that I hope to compile it all some day for you. It definitely needs a guide, because it’s become quite the obscure book (sadly), and there’s not much chatter about it on the internet. But I won’t make this review a mile long just because I can. 🙂 It’s quite gentle as far as fantasy books go and would make an excellent family read-aloud. Please let me know if you end up picking it up and what you thought of it!