The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle

Christina Uss

$16.99

Publication Date: June 5th, 2018

Publisher:

Margaret Ferguson Books

ISBN:

9780823440078

Pages:

320

A funny, heartwarming, and infinitely imaginative story about a friendless 12-year-old girl determined to ride across the country to befriend her hero, Polish bicycling champion Zbigniew Sienkiewicz. Along the way she meets ghosts, pie-makers, and crazy inventors; gets run over in a pig stampede; and accidentally launches a missile. And that’s when she’s not being chased by the mysterious woman in black. A fun, can’t-miss summer read for everyone!

Chris Abouzeid, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA

Summer 2018 Kids Indie Next List

Description

Selected for the 2019-2020 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

A determined 12-year-old girl bikes across the country in this quirky and charming debut middle grade novel.

Introverted Bicycle has lived most of her life at the Mostly Silent Monastery in Washington, D.C. When her guardian, Sister Wanda, announces that Bicycle is going to attend a camp where she will learn to make friends, Bicycle says no way and sets off on her bike for San Francisco to meet her idol, a famous cyclist, certain he will be her first true friend.

Who knew that a ghost would haunt her handlebars and that she would have to contend with bike-hating dogs, a bike-loving horse, bike-crushing pigs, and a mysterious lady dressed in black. Over the uphills and downhills of her journey, Bicycle discovers that friends are not such a bad thing to have after all, and that a dozen cookies really can solve most problems.

A Junior Library Guild selection!

About the Author

CHRISTINA USS has written about bicycling and travel for many magazines and newspapers. The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle was inspired in part by her own experiences while biking across the United States, once widthwise and once lengthwise.

Praise for The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle

★ "An extraordinary pilgrimage featuring several fantastical characters and an unforgettable adventure to boot."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ "'Pedal headfirst' into this terrific adventure."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ "The story elegantly blends elements of mystery, adventure, and fantasy."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"“Readers who enjoy action and adventure with a dose of magic will happily go along for the ride."—Booklist

"A heartfelt celebration of the zen of cycling and a sympathetic portrait of an atypical kid who struggles to learn the art of friendship." —The Horn Book

"[Uss] mixes realistic fiction with supernatural and farfetched fantastical elements."—School Library Journal