Jules, Penny & The Rooster
Daniel Pinkwater
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
Internationally bestselling author Daniel Pinkwater (The Big Orange Splot) brings his zany wit and wisdom to the magical adventures of a clever girl and her brave dog. Told with warmth and wit, this is a delightful exploration of growing up, the power of family, and how sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect them.
“Now what could be more fun than that?,’ they ask in Jules, Penny & The Rooster, and the only possible answer is the entirety of Pinkwater’s book itself—girl adepts, telepathic dogs, largehearted aunts, dancing fauns, magic museums, characters named Hamantaschen, and all.”
—Mark London Williams, author of the Danger Boy series and Max Random and the Zombie 500
Jules McShultz was promised a dog. Supposedly, she’d get one once her family moved from the city to the suburbs. But then her parents decided it still wasn’t the right time.
So, Jules does what any intelligent girl would do. Instead of sulking, she enters an essay contest and wins first prize: A purebred Collie. And no one—not even Jules’ parents—can resist Penny, who is clearly Jules’s perfect new canine pal.
Jules and Penny are ready to spend the summer exploring the woods by the house. But the woods are not at all what they seem to be. Magic and adventure await them just on the other side of an old stone wall.
“Now what could be more fun than that?,’ they ask in Jules, Penny & The Rooster, and the only possible answer is the entirety of Pinkwater’s book itself—girl adepts, telepathic dogs, largehearted aunts, dancing fauns, magic museums, characters named Hamantaschen, and all.”
—Mark London Williams, author of the Danger Boy series and Max Random and the Zombie 500
Jules McShultz was promised a dog. Supposedly, she’d get one once her family moved from the city to the suburbs. But then her parents decided it still wasn’t the right time.
So, Jules does what any intelligent girl would do. Instead of sulking, she enters an essay contest and wins first prize: A purebred Collie. And no one—not even Jules’ parents—can resist Penny, who is clearly Jules’s perfect new canine pal.
Jules and Penny are ready to spend the summer exploring the woods by the house. But the woods are not at all what they seem to be. Magic and adventure await them just on the other side of an old stone wall.
Product Details
| Publisher | Tachyon Publications |
| Publish Date | March 11, 2025 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781616964320 |
| Dimensions | 8.5 X 5.5 X 0.6 inches | 0.4 pounds |
About the Author
Daniel Pinkwater is the author and sometimes illustrator of more than eighty (and counting) wildly popular books, including The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Crazy in Poughkeepsie, and The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also contributed to a number of print publications, including the New York Times Magazine, OMNI, and many other fine periodicals. He has been an occasional commentator on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and appeared regularly on Weekend Edition, where he reviewed exceptional kids’ books with host Scott Simon. Pinkwater lives with several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse on New York’s Hudson River.
Reviews
“Jules and her dog, who she calls Penny, explore the nearby forest, which they soon learn is enchanted. Typically for Pinkwater, what follows is both hilarious and surprising.”
—Mel Gilden, author of The Fifth Grade Monster books, Dr. Big, and The Coincidence Couch
“Middle schooler Jules wins a collie in a newspaper contest. Hardly have the two bonded than they meet several creatures in the nearby woodland: a handsome rooster, a friendly if ‘pretty spectacularly ugly’ witch, some dazzling tiny fairies, and a few other reclusive residents. Jules learns that the woods are about to lose the spell that has kept them protected from the outside world. It seems that a collector of magical artifacts has stolen a vital talisman called the Wise Old Turtle for his private museum. Sure, there’s a prophecy that a sacred rooster, a magic wolf named Hakawakamaka, and who knows, maybe a girl, will help save the forest—but how? Where there’s a will, there’s a way, or so the saying goes, and this snappy ‘girl and her dog’ story zigzags toward a satisfactory resolution. What will stand out for readers is the intimate connection between the doughty narrator and her equally resourceful canine companion. ‘The big thing,’ Jules writes, ‘is how we loved each other, totally and completely, also right away and from the beginning.’ Characters’ races and ethnicities aren’t mentioned. Fetching and folkloric.”
—Kirkus
“The main thing is, you don’t have to be a student of Medieval science to absorb the themes of transcendence and astral signposts provided in this great man’s work. Just read it like an eleven-year-old. In fact, that probably makes it better.”
—Green Man Review
“It might be illegal for Daniel Pinkwater to keep getting better with every book, but he’s done it again. This is his funniest, loveliest story yet. We are lucky to have him.”
—Christopher Farnsworth, author of Reunion
“Jules, Penny & the Rooster is a beautifully written fantasy novel for everyone to enjoy for it readability from the first page on.”
—Midwest Book Review
“With its perfect blend of fantasy and everyday wonders, Jules, Penny & the Rooster is a read-aloud/read-alone treasure sure to please kids and adults alike. Pinkwater fans will be squealing over this one.”
—Kathy Ceceri, author of the STEAM series
“Well-written, enjoyable, lots of fun and hugely entertaining.”
—Book Lover’s Boudoir
“Pick this up for quicky fun, bursting with details.”
—YA Books Central
Praise for Daniel Pinkwater
“Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children’s books that he should be made a Living National Treasure.”
—Washington Post Book World
“I do believe that Daniel Pinkwater is my favorite writer, living or dead.”
—Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother
“A life-changing force in the life of a reader.”
—Tor.com
“The most perfect manufacturer of weird and absurd stories.”
—Foreword
“Daniel Pinkwater helped to shape me as a storyteller and his books have delighted generations of young readers.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of The City in the Middle of the Night
—Mel Gilden, author of The Fifth Grade Monster books, Dr. Big, and The Coincidence Couch
“Middle schooler Jules wins a collie in a newspaper contest. Hardly have the two bonded than they meet several creatures in the nearby woodland: a handsome rooster, a friendly if ‘pretty spectacularly ugly’ witch, some dazzling tiny fairies, and a few other reclusive residents. Jules learns that the woods are about to lose the spell that has kept them protected from the outside world. It seems that a collector of magical artifacts has stolen a vital talisman called the Wise Old Turtle for his private museum. Sure, there’s a prophecy that a sacred rooster, a magic wolf named Hakawakamaka, and who knows, maybe a girl, will help save the forest—but how? Where there’s a will, there’s a way, or so the saying goes, and this snappy ‘girl and her dog’ story zigzags toward a satisfactory resolution. What will stand out for readers is the intimate connection between the doughty narrator and her equally resourceful canine companion. ‘The big thing,’ Jules writes, ‘is how we loved each other, totally and completely, also right away and from the beginning.’ Characters’ races and ethnicities aren’t mentioned. Fetching and folkloric.”
—Kirkus
“The main thing is, you don’t have to be a student of Medieval science to absorb the themes of transcendence and astral signposts provided in this great man’s work. Just read it like an eleven-year-old. In fact, that probably makes it better.”
—Green Man Review
“It might be illegal for Daniel Pinkwater to keep getting better with every book, but he’s done it again. This is his funniest, loveliest story yet. We are lucky to have him.”
—Christopher Farnsworth, author of Reunion
“Jules, Penny & the Rooster is a beautifully written fantasy novel for everyone to enjoy for it readability from the first page on.”
—Midwest Book Review
“With its perfect blend of fantasy and everyday wonders, Jules, Penny & the Rooster is a read-aloud/read-alone treasure sure to please kids and adults alike. Pinkwater fans will be squealing over this one.”
—Kathy Ceceri, author of the STEAM series
“Well-written, enjoyable, lots of fun and hugely entertaining.”
—Book Lover’s Boudoir
“Pick this up for quicky fun, bursting with details.”
—YA Books Central
Praise for Daniel Pinkwater
“Daniel Pinkwater is so obviously the funniest writer of children’s books that he should be made a Living National Treasure.”
—Washington Post Book World
“I do believe that Daniel Pinkwater is my favorite writer, living or dead.”
—Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother
“A life-changing force in the life of a reader.”
—Tor.com
“The most perfect manufacturer of weird and absurd stories.”
—Foreword
“Daniel Pinkwater helped to shape me as a storyteller and his books have delighted generations of young readers.”
—Charlie Jane Anders, author of The City in the Middle of the Night
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