Pencilvania

Pencilvania is a poignant and imaginative fantasy adventure that explores the complex emotions of grief and loss through the eyes of young Zora. After her mother's death from leukemia, Zora's vibrant artistic world turns dark. Her anger and sadness manifest as a destructive force that pulls her and her sister into Pencilvania, a magical realm made of all her past drawings. To rescue her kidnapped sister and save this unique world, Zora must confront her inner darkness and rediscover her creative spirit. This chapter book, reminiscent of "The Phantom Tollbooth," offers a rich narrative for children aged 8-11, providing a metaphorical journey through sorrow towards healing and self-acceptance.

In this illustrated, modern take on The Phantom Tollboothmeets Harold and the Purple Crayon, author Stephanie Watson beautifully explores grief and creativity through an unforgettable fantasy world. Ever since she first learned to hold a crayon, Zora Webb has been unstoppable. Zora draws hamsters wearing pajamas and balloons and Lake Superior and pancakes and hundreds of horses. Her drawings fill sketchbooks and cover the walls of the happy home she shares with Frankie and their mother. But when Zora's mom is diagnosed with leukemia, everything changes. After months of illness, she dies, and with her goes Zora's love of creation. Desperate to escape the pain, Zora scribbles out her artwork. Her dark, furious scribbles lift off the page and yank Zora and Frankie into Pencilvania, a magical world that's home to everything Zora has ever drawn. And one drawing--a scribbled-out horse named Viscardi--is determined to finish the destruction Zora started. Viscardi kidnaps Frankie, promising to scribble her and all of Pencilvania out at sunrise. Zora sets out to rescue her sister, venturing deep into Pencilvania--a place crawling with memories, dangers, and new friends. If she is to save Frankie, Zora will have to face the darkness that both surrounds her and is inside of her.