Leeva at Last Review written by the Hobbit. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Read
Book: Leeva at Last
Author: Sarah Pennypacker
Pictures by: Matthew Cordell
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Pages: 305
Reading Age: 9 and up (suitable to read to 5+)
Genres: Absurd, Comedy, and Drama
Themes to Discuss: Power of books and libraries; Friendship, Cookies; Perseverance
Warnings: The dreadful parents (the villains of the story) are comedic, but this could be triggering to someone who had/has bad parents
Brief Leeva at Last Summary
Leeva at Last has a feel of Matilda and A Series of Unfortunate Events as a base. Leeva Thornblossom is eight or nine – she does not know for sure. Leeva’s mom, the mayor, wants only fame. Her father, the town treasurer, believes only in money. Leeva is normally not allowed to leave her house, but she goes through the hedge and finds the town’s library. With the help of two librarians, she makes friends and finds the answer to the question, “What are people for?”
Leeva at Last Review
(Contains Spoilers)
Leeva Thornblossom is a neglected child. Her life consists of serving her parents, the mayor and treasurer of the small town of Nutsmore. Leeva is forbidden to leave the house and her only exposure to the outside world is through reading the Nutsmore Weekly and watching the soap opera “The Winds of Our Tides.” Then she sees a story in the Nutsmore Weekly about a new school. As she unsuccessfully discusses this with her parents the question is asked – “What are people for?”
Knowing about the school and trying to answer the question, Leeva makes her way through the hedge surrounding their house and finds a building full of books— the town library! Here she meets Harry, who is running the library for his aunt Pauline (her skateboarding injuries are keeping her upstairs, where she and Harry live). Soon Leeva is running errands for Aunt Pauline, to get ingredients for her delicious cookies (her goal is to make every type of cookie in the world).
She meets Osmund, who is afraid of most things and wears a hazmat suit. Osmund gives her a pet, Bob the Badger. And Leeva meets Fern, who takes care of multiple siblings and her old grandparents (although not too old to enjoy a TV show Leeva introduces them to – Vim and Vigor at Any Age). All of these will help her answer – What are People For?
First, the warning. The story is absurd, and this includes Leeva’s parents, who are outrageously bad. They are not only bad to Leeva, but they are also true comic villains, having done horrible things (stealing money, raising taxes, etc.) in their roles as mayor and treasurer. Leeva is in a comically gloomy situation.
There are many other elements (with no formal schooling Leeva reads 10 books a night, and her father keeps the embezzled money in shoeboxes in cash, for instance) that are clearly fantastic. However, the few negative reviews are honest comments by people for whom Leeva’s situation is realistic enough for them to cause concern. Most kids can recognize a fantastic situation as being unreal; for a kid with a lot of parental trauma, the plot may cause anxiety.
Continue reading for more of our Leeva at Last Review
Taking that into consideration, most kids will love the story. Children’s literature is not and should not be all about happiness. Leeva perseveres and overcomes. Much like Rey in the final Star Wars trilogy, she learns that we are not fated to follow in the footsteps of biological parents, and that chosen family is ok.
The artwork cleverly reinforces the fantastical element, as the figures evoke the characters but are not realistic. Reading, using the library, and the power of librarians are major features. Pennypacker specially mentions a number of books (we assume ones she loves).
While absurd, and dealing with sadness, the book is also touching and contains a lot of joy. This reminds me of the C.S. Lewis Quote “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” That perhaps best reflects my overall reaction.
Leeva at Last Discussion Questions Based on Quotes
- “Learning that you cannot trust the people you relied on is devastating- like discovering that what you thought was solid earth below your feet was actually a nest of spider bones.” Has this ever happened to you? What did it feel like?
- “Using a word with the crowning pleasure of acquiring one…” Leeva loves new words – she gets one every day in the paper. Do you? Where do you find new words?
- “Because Reader, you can’t put an oak tree back into the acorn. You can’t put a rainstorm back into the cloud. You can’t put a milkshake back into the cow. You get the point.?” What is the point here?
- “That’s Harry, all right,” Osman said. “He notices things and figures out a way to help.” Do you know anyone like Harry?
- “Talking about books, you’d both read was like talking about people you both knew, things you’d both done.” Do you share reading books with friends, and talk about them? What is it like?
Other Leeva at Last Quotes
What were people for? The question felt important. It felt like the most important question ever asked.
As you read a book, those words became real people, doing real things. By the end of the book, those words left you weeping or cheering or vowing to change your life.
“What is it you like so much about acting?” Harry squinted and thought for a moment. “The stories, of course. But it’s the chance to try on other people’s lives I like the best. To walk someone else’s path.”
“the people who hold the keys, lie and cheat to get those keys, clutch those keys in a death grip – why won’t they use them to unlock the door? Do you ever wonder about that, Leeva?”
Not believing children just because they are children is foolish.
Reader, when you know you are loved – whether the knowledge comes as a surprise…or whether you are lucky enough to have grown up with it – you actually shine. The shine is love reflected.
-Leeva at Last Quotes
Thanks for reading our Leeva at Last Review and Discussion Questions. For further reading:
–2023 Matilda Movie Review
-Lessons from The Willoughbys
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