Spotlight: Excerpt! Perfect Patchwork Purse by Corey Ann Haydu

Hello Book Lovers, 

It is a Spotlight Day!! Today I bring you Perfect Patchwork Purse #3 by Corey Ann Haydu, available on May 4th. The story is one in a new middle-grade series that is a "magical May must-read" and I have an excerpt for you below!!

Interested, keep reading to learn more...

XOXO, 

Steph

Perfect Patchwork Purse by Corey Ann Haydu, Illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Series: Hand-Me-Down Magic series #3
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publication Date:  May 4, 2021!

 

Synopsis: 

From the critically acclaimed MG/YA author of EVENTOWN, RULES FOR STEALING CARS, EVER CURSED AND OCD LOVE STORY, the third installation to the Hand-Me-Down Magic series is perfect next read for fans of Ivy & Bean and Dory Fantasmagory. 

Children ages 4-8 (Grades PreK-3) will love following best-friend-cousins Del and Alma on their newest adventure! When Alma see’s the most perfect patchwork purse while window shopping, she can think of nothing else– it was absolutely magical. But when her friend Cassie buys the purse, Alma swallowed her disappointment and assured her it looked just right on her. Del on the other hand, took matters into her own hands to lift up her cousin– all she needs is a little bit of glue, glitter, and maybe a little magic. 

Hand-Me-Down #3: Perfect Patchwork Purse

Chapter 1 - Stripes and Flowers and Polka Dots and Plaids

When Cassie came into the Curious Cousins Secondhand Shoppe, Alma could tell she knew exactly what she wanted.

“That,” Cassie said. She pointed at the purse that had been hanging in the window all month. It was a patchwork bag, made from at least thirty different fabrics. It was yellow and silver and blue and purple. It had stripes and flowers and polka dots and plaids. Parts of it sparkled. Parts

of it shined.

It was beautiful. It was special. It was strange. And it was supposed to be Alma’s.

“Oh,” Alma said sadly. “Are you sure?”

“Totally sure!” Cassie replied. “I’ve been saving up for the entire school year to buy something special. And this is it. This is my something special.”

Alma nodded. Cassie had talked for months about coming into the store to buy her something special. And Alma had been excited to see what she would pick! But she never imagined Cassie would pick the perfect patchwork purse. Alma wasn’t sure if she believed in magic, but that purse looked magical. It looked like maybe, maybe, it might be the kind of magic Alma could

finally understand.

And Alma didn’t know how to say that to Cassie.

“Great pick!” Alma’s cousin and best friend, Del, said. “That purse is really special.”

Alma’s littlest cousin, Evie, ran to get the ladder so she could be the one to climb up to get the purse. Their family cat, Fraidycat, bounded behind her. Fraidycat was always curious, and Evie was always doing something that made her extra curious. Maybe Evie was Fraidycat’s something special.

Alma had been thinking the purse was her something special. She had been the first person to see the purse. She’d been helping Abuelita go

through bags of donations, and the purse had been at the very bottom of one. At first, Alma had thought it was weird. Maybe even ugly. But the longer the purse hung in the window, the more beautiful it became.

Alma loved having the purse in the window. It reminded her that even though she didn’t believe in magic the way Del did or the way Abuelita did—which was a whole lot—she believed things were not always what they seemed. She believed that something ordinary could become something special. And she believed that maybe, someday, she’d be the kind of person who could use a magical-looking purse like that.

Alma was thinking all of that, but it sounded too silly to say out loud.

“Maybe you’d like this purse more?” Alma said to Cassie, holding up another beautiful purse that customers were always admiring.

“No, I like this one!” Cassie said. “It’s going to be perfect for all the end-of-the-school-year stuff—the parade and the picnic and everything else. I can put my sunglasses in it. And books. And a hat.”

Evie came back with the ladder. She was grunting and gasping, pulling the ladder through the store all by herself. Fraidycat swung her tail around, as if she was helping too. “I’ll get the purse for you!” Evie said excitedly.

 

About the Author

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown, The Someday Suitcase, and Rules for Stealing Stars and four acclaimed books for teens. She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog Oscar. Find out more at www.coreyannhaydu.com.

Haydu’s books have received multiple starred reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist, have been Amazon Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, Indie Next Selections, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Selections. Most recently, in 2020, her novel EVENTOWN received an Edgar Award Nomination. 

About the Illustrator 

Luisa Uribe likes drawing, reading, and chasing the cat around the house. She lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where students (like the Earth Heroes in her book Dear Earth...From Your Friends in Room 5) are helping protect the environment and our natural resources. Of her many illustration projects, her true love is picture books. Luisa was honored with the Dilys Evans Founder's Award at the Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit in 2018. You can find more of her wonderful art at www.luisauribe.com.