• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2014 July #1
  Reformed robber and would-be cowboy Leroy Ninker (last seen in the Mercy Watson books) lassos his own series. Leroy spends his nights working the drive-in concession stand, dreaming of 10-gallon hats and western boots. Ticket seller Beatrice Leapaleoni convinces him to take fate in your hands and wrestle it to the ground, so he adopts a horse from Patty LeMarque. Patty's instructions on Maybelline's care are to the point: sweet-talk her, feed her a lot of grub, and never leave her alone. The first two instructions go well (Leroy spouts poeticals, and Maybelline loves his spaghetti), but his errand to fetch an umbrella takes longer than expected, and the horse wanders off. Predictably, she ends up at Deckawoo Drive for a happy reunion featuring familiar friends and a lot of buttered toast. DiCamillo's use of inventive and colorful language and Van Dusen's stylized gouache illustrations make this story click. Give this to graduates of the earlier series looking for a bit more of a challenge. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Kate DiCamillo, the author of six books about Mercy Watson, is the beloved and renowned author of many books for young readers, including Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures and The Tale of Despereaux, both of which won Newbery Medals. In 2014 she was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She lives in Minneapolis.

Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of The Circus Ship and King Hugo’s Huge Ego, and the illustrator of all six books about Mercy Watson. He lives in Maine.