Lawley Enterprises LLC Curious World of Dandy-lion

“Rarely does a Dreamer have your ability to project us into their world." Meredith has a cast of quirky companions that she calls fancies. She is a special girl with an amazing imagination and a big heart. “Curious World of Dandy-Lion” is a sweet story about a sensitive ten-year-old girl struggling to make friends and figure out who she is. This is an excellent story for young readers.Jocie Salveson's illustrations add to the fun, whimsical tone of the story.

Meredith is an amazing girl! This story sweeps you up, kid and adult alike, and takes you into a wonderful world. Floss is such a cute side-kick who is determined to mess up Meredith's carefully laid plans to find a new best friend. I remember those days in school of being awkward and made fun of. Meredith's adventure and heart is a unique way of showing we all have quirks that make us special and relatable. The illustrations are adorable, and the writing is clean and witty with great character names. Some of my favorite scenes are when Floss is inside the vending machine, when Mere and Jax jump over the sidewalk cracks (been there), and the emotional scenes with Grams. And the last line in the book gave me happy chills.

Whimsy is rare enough these days—magical whimsy scarcer still. 10-year-old Meredith has a quest: to free a sad elderly widowed neighbor from a jinx. That would be hard enough without having to cope with a rambunctious unicorn beetle that has made a career of getting in Meredith’s way. Only Meredith can see Floss. Does that mean Floss is imaginary? Hardly. Meredith sees the universe in a way most people don’t. To rescue Mr. Dally from his jinx requires more than she herself can do. So Meredith finds a boy who sees the universe more or less as she does.Whimsical touches like Floss’s antics are only part of the story. What the tale is really about is friendship, and recognizing people who are enough like you to share your quest, however odd that quest may seem to those in the mundane world. Watching friendship grow between Meredith and Jax was the heart of the story for me. The tale is at once warm, tense, a little unnerving in places but ultimately triumphant. The writing is good enough that I could lose myself in the story, and be there right with Meredith and her friends—including Floss, who every so often walks across the pages of the book. Lots of fun. Don’t miss it!

This book was a joy to read with my daughter. The Q&a after reading was amazing. Kids tend to see different things about the book than I did as an adult. This was very skillful by the author. The question is when will we see floss again?

Everyone needs a little magic in their lives and this book is magical. The characters and their adventures brought me right back to middle school. My imagination always kept my mind wandering so relating to Meredith came easy. Tweens will love the connections they will make while enjoying this book. Curious World of Dandy-lion makes for a great read and a great gift.