In Pignoli and the Chocolate Thief, by Robin Cannon, Pignoli, a tiny mouse from the village of Arancia, is bored with his life.
In her second novel with Austin Macauley, Cannon targets YA readers with a message about pursuing your dreams, and that if you are determined and work hard enough, good things will come your way and your dreams will come true.
To liven things up one day, Pignoli cleverly jumps into an open carpetbag and makes his way, by train, to the faraway city of Le Clerc.
There he meets Hammett, an orphan boy whose only wish is to make a sad orphan girl happy.
Cannon was recently inspired to tell Pignoli’s tale after close encounter in her own home.
“One day, our tiny white mouse named Pignoli escaped from his cage,” she said. “He went on a grand adventure around the house, skittling from room to room. Every once in a while, we would catch a glimpse of him. After three days, we caught him in the kitchen pantry eating dog food. We returned him to his cage a much fatter and happier mouse.”
With a strong narrative and cleverly composed rhythm between each step of Pignoli’s journey, Pignoli and the Chocolate Thief is a wonderful title to add to your YA library this season and one that’ll be bringing joy to all the younger readers lucky enough to come across a copy.
Robin Cannon received her BA and MS degrees from Fordham University in New York City and her Sixth Year Degree in Education Administration from Southern CT State University. She has been a schoolteacher for 35 years.
She lives with her husband, Bob, daughters, Haley and Molly, and son, Colin.
Three previous books written by the author entitled Tilly Fig, Rye Hill, and Fireflies at Nightfall—all published by Goose River Press—were displayed at the 2017 Book Expo in New York City. Austin Macauley published the fourth book by the author in 2018, entitled The Vanity of Robbers.
Cannon has been a guest speaker at Book Club meetings as well as the West Haven Public Library. She has attended book signings at various bookstores in Connecticut, including Bank Square Books in Mystic, Burgundy Books in Westbrook, R.J. Julia in Middletown, Warehouse Books in Clinton, and Barnes and Noble Bookstores in Westport, North Haven, and Milford. Pignoli and the Chocolate Thief, published by Austin Macauley, was released on Feb. 28.
Price: $12.95, ISBN: 9781643787367. It will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in other book- stores throughout the country. Advance review copies are available upon request. For more information, please visit: www.austinmacauley.com/us.