A PLOT FOR PEPPERMINTS

Something about peppermints endears this sweet striped candy to everyone. Who doesn’t have a peppermint story?

THE PERILS OF PEPPERMINTS by Barbara Brooks Wallace.
In 1980 when Barbara Brooks Wallace wrote PEPPERMINTS IN THE PARLOR, it wasn’t enough for her readers. They wanted more. In 1993 the book was reissued. Those new readers wanted more, too. Finally, in 2003, the sequel appeared. This is not the usual Christmas peppermint story. How peppermints figure into the plot is quite unexpected, as any good story would have it.

I’m grateful to 4th grader Carolyn Calvert-Grimes for speaking up for this book so today’s readers can discover it, too. The main character is plucky, resourceful, and the ending turns out to be about as satisfying as, well, as many peppermints as Mom would let you have plus a few extras.

And then there are all those other books with alliterative titles that Mrs. Wallace has written. Although it took her a few years to write the long awaited peppermint sequel, her pen was not idle. There are hours of great reading just waiting for today’s readers.

Go!