Lisa Railsback has released her first middle grade novel in Noonie’s Masterpiece, and the result is a book that cleverly combines complex illustrations and simple doodles in wild color schemes with a whimsical first-person narrator who is struggling with a significant loss, making for a middle grade story that is both entertaining and touching.
Noonie Norton is a fourth grade artist just waiting to be discovered, and she very much identifies with several of the famous artists in the Masterpieces of Art book she checked out from the school library four years ago (which she will not return no matter how many notices they send home). Because of her mother’s death and her father’s extensive travels, she has been living with her aunt, uncle and cousin, who she has to admit are nice enough, but clearly don’t understand her and her artistic spirit. That spirit frequently lands her on her teacher’s bad side or in the principal’s office, unfortunately, making her feel even more misunderstood. She does have a best friend in Reno, whose thing is math, not art, but who still sticks by her. And, best of all, there’s Ms. Lilly, her eccentric art teacher who must surely understand her artistic spirit, if Noonie could ever get to art class (instead of spending that time in the principal’s office!).
The arc of the story involves an art contest that Noonie is intent on winning, since she believes it would bring her dad home to her. The focus of the contest is “family,” which is a concept Noonie may learn can be as unique as each individual. There is a lightheartedness that embodies this story, even when the emotions expressed get a little dark. Noonie’s individualism matches the presentation of this book, with illustrations, alterations in font and type, and COLOR everywhere, from the text to the page backgrounds. I have to admit that I giggled more than once during Noonie’s Masterpiece, and I found my heartstrings being tugged as well.
If you’ve got a minute and a half to spare, this trailer for Noonie’s Masterpiece presented by Chronicle Books concisely and perfectly captures Noonie’s spirit.
When she’s not spending her time escaping into the whimsy of a book, Dawn can often be found blogging away at my thoughts exactly.