The Doldrums (The Doldrums, #1)

Description

'A dreamy charmer of a book.' - New York Times Archer B. Helmsley has grown up in a house full of oddities and treasures collected by his grandparents, the famous explorers. He knows every nook and cranny. He knows them all too well. After all, ever since his grandparents went missing on an iceberg, his mother barely lets him leave the house.Archer longs for adventure. Grand adventures, with parachutes and exotic sunsets and interesting characters. But how can he have an adventure when he can't leave his house? It helps that he has friends like Adelaide L. Belmont, who must have had many adventures since she ended up with a wooden leg. (Perhaps a crocodile ate it. Perhaps not.) And Oliver Glub. Oliver will worry about all the details (so that Archer doesn't have to). And so Archer, Adelaide and Oliver make a plan. A plan to get out of the house, out of their town entirely. It's a good plan. Well, it's not bad, anyway. But nothing goes quite as they expected. For fans of the bestselling Withering-by-Sea and Whimsy and Woe, an exquisitely illustrated novel from talented Nicholas Gannon. MORE PRAISE 'A dreamy charmer of a book, full of clever wordplay that practically demands it to be read out loud.' - New York Times 'Amusing, heartwarming, and zany.' - Kirkus Reviews, starred review 'Gannon reveals himself as a skilled storyteller, both in his writing and artwork ... It's a tender tale of friendship, untapped courage, and accidental adventure, filled with the spirit of exploration.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review 'This whimsical coming-of-age story has a touch of mystery that will endear it to fans of Roald Dahl.' - School Library Journal 'The book itself is a very handsome object, hardback, beautifully illustrated, and written in a style reminiscent of the Lemony Snicket series, quietly funny and very clever.' - CBCA Reading Time

Nicholas Gannon is a graduate of Parsons School of Design. The Doldrums first began when he was working in construction in New York state. The earliest sketches of Archer were drawn on two-by-fours that are now in the walls of a home he helped build. Nicholas eventually made it back to the city and now resides in Brooklyn. He is the author The Doldrums and The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse. www.nicholasgannon.com

"A dreamy charmer of a book, full of clever wordplay that practically demands it be read out loud." -- New York Times Book Review The Doldrums is delightful! What a wonderful ride of a book! -- Jennifer L. Holm, NY TIMES-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish "Amusing, heartwarming, and zany. ... The debut author also provides delicate, full-color illustrations throughout. Readers will eventually sigh in relief with Archer and his friends." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Newcomer Gannon reveals himself as a skilled storyteller, both in his writing and artwork... It's a tender tale of friendship, untapped courage, and accidental adventure, filled with the spirit of exploration." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[Gannon's] warm-toned, fine-lined illustrations, full of delicately quirky details, help carry the offbeat atmosphere and whimsical story. Hand to fans of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events." -- ALA Booklist "The art throughout is stunning, moves the story forward, and creates a beautiful package...This whimsical coming-of-age story has a touch of mystery that will endear it to fans of Roald Dahl." -- School Library Journal "[A] warm and witty debut...What begins as an adventure...turns out to be, at its heart, a tale of true friendship. Each [friend] breaks out of his or her own prison in unusual ways so that together the trio accomplishes far more than they could have on their own." -- Shelf Awareness "Archer, Adelaide, and Oliver make the best trio of friends in a middle grade novel since Harry, Hermione, and Ron in the Harry Potter series." -- Clara Martin, Lemuria Books, Jackson, MS "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll root for them, and when it's over, you'll want to turn the page back to the beginning and read it all over again. This is one of those books that everyone should read." -- Candice Huber, Tubby & Coo's Mid City Book Shop, New Orleans, LA