Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | EASY SNI | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
We are very curious about the Swinster Pharmacy. We stay up late every night wondering what sort of eerie secrets it contains. Why are there three Styrofoam heads in the windows? Who is the owner? Is it really closed on weekends? Renowned investigator Lemony Snicket has compiled 29 myths about this bewildering establishment, in the vain hope that he could help us shine some light on this enduring mystery.
Author Notes
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of Daniel Handler, who was born on February 28, 1970. As Lemony Snicket, he is the author of and appears as a character in the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events. He has also written or contributed to other works using this pen name including Baby in the Manger, The Lump of Coal, The Composer Is Dead, and Where Did You See Her Last?.
Under his real name, Handler is the author of several books for adults including The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Every town has one: that tchotchke shop/storefront psychic/drugstore that raises questions like "How does that place stay in business?" Snicket and Brown (The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming) examine one such emporium of enigma, the Swinster Pharmacy, its very name almost "sinister." Two children are fascinated by the store and what it might sell, and their 29 notes and comments comprise the narrative. This isn't a book about solving a mystery-entering the pharmacy would, after all, basically put the matter to rest. Instead, Snicket and Brown let readers dwell in the gray, desolate weirdness of the downtown (a foldout map of the neighborhood is included). While the book successfully evokes a sense of unease about the store, as well as the way children create mysteries out of the quotidian, the observations are often opaque ("Nothing's perfect. The Swinster Pharmacy is not perfect. The glow of the moon on the car, there, is not perfect") or banal ("I was going to write a poem about the Swinster Pharmacy"), making the mystery one that belongs to these two children, not one readers can share in. Ages 7-up. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Siblings investigate the Swinster Pharmacy: is it a run-of-the-mill shop that sells "aspirin and toothpaste," as a police officer asserts? Or, is it something more sinister? Snicket nails the intensity of a child's curiosity, but the book (twenty-nine observations ranging from quirky to lyrical to matter-of-fact) ultimately--and perhaps intentionally--leaves readers in the dark. Brown's illustrations are just right: gloomy and eerie. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
This peculiar picture book collects 29 myths about a small-town pharmacy, delivered by a young pair of siblings (and their West Highland terrier) who are obsessed with this mysterious establishment. The myths themselves, a bemused selection of statements, questions, and wonderings, are by turns poetic (When the town aches, the Swinster Pharmacy aches with it) and pedestrian (I think the Swinster Pharmacy is closed on weekends). Brown paints the titular pharmacy a drab gray that permeates the rest of the story like a dense fog, and her children, dressed in yellow, orange, and red, stand out against the inky obscurity like the incisive investigators they are. The sum total of Snicket's rambling curiosities and Brown's attentive detail, indelibly charming and aggressively unique, will not be everyone's cup of tea. But the small trim size, thoughtful design, and generally exceptional production values (the dust jacket unfolds to reveal a poster of the Swinster Pharmacy on one side and a map of the town on the other) make it an especially special package for the right reader. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Although this is hardly mainstream Snicket, the latest from the best-selling author is always reason to take note.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2014 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-Innovative in both its style and gloomy denouement, this picture-book mystery unfolds as an episodic essay of 29 seemingly random observations. It employs both narrative and expository voices as it describes an old-timey downtown pharmacy with "Styrofoam heads wearing wigs" in the window and employees wearing long white coats.The Swinster Pharmacy remains unchanged in what is "usually a quiet town," and this timelessness presents a puzzle that two children investigate tirelessly as they are certain that there is something terribly wrong with this establishment. Careful observers will find clues in the illustrations that supply reasons for the seemingly gratuitous obsessiveness. The story is written in a droll, but authoritative voice reminiscent of pre-1960s journalese, and the art has a flat, understated style that is reminiscent of Marc Simont's work. The two friends are essentially reporters, and their reports read like poetic fragments: "15. The building is a perfect square./We measured it last night," "18. Something about the door is electric as opposed to acoustic./It closes like a hiss,/like the serpent in the Garden of Eden/or a slow, dead tire." This picture book is a wee bit odd in tone, it is true. Nevertheless, it could be used a springboard for readers to develop and solve the implicit whodunit story, or as an opportunity to analyze what constitutes solid evidence versus allusive facts.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Young investigators, a girl and boy old enough to ride the city bus alone, offer 29 observations associated with a building in another town. The Swinster Pharmacy seems to be one of those strangely inaccessible businesses engaged in unknown and possibly mysterious activities. A cat closely resembling the cat on the "Lost" flyer posted near the Swinster Pharmacy slips among the scenes. There's an implication of nonspecific sinister happenings: Much is unexplained and slightly surreal (and the richer for it). From the title ("29 Myths on"), Snicket channels the slightly awkward, odd syntax of children. Some of the sleuths' 29 numbered statements are a little spooky"Dogs bark at it all the time"while some are slyly funny: "I was going to write a poem about the Swinster Pharmacy." A sign in the window declares "Included." Brown's simple, cartoon-style artwork against a dark background is just right: It's direct and not overly edgy; her characters are distinctive and expressive. A simple map offers a geographic context for the travels of the sleuthing duo; a glimpse of the basement appears on the cover. The compelling, unexplained goings-on at the Swinster Pharmacy could turn out to be evil or benign or something completely otherreaders are never told. For all its enigmatic nature, the tale provides a clear reason for drawing one's own conclusions: Observing and recording the results through a personal filter makes a good story. (Picture book. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.