The Great Good Thing - by Roderick Townley

About the Book

Sylvie has been a 12-year-old princess for more than 80 years, ever since the book she lives in was first printed. When a new reader gazes down into Chapter One, Sylvie breaks a rule--she looks at the Reader. Worse, she gets to know the Reader, and enters her dreams and subconscious, where she achieves many Good things, but the Greatest goes far beyond even her imaginings.

Book Synopsis

A storybook princess breaks the fourth wall and incites a new kind of adventure in this imaginative middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of Chris Colfer and Gail Carson Levine.

Sylvie had an amazing life, but she didn't get to live it very often.

Sylvie has been a twelve-year-old princess for more than eighty years, ever since the book she lives in was first printed. She's the heroine, and her story is exciting. But that's the trouble: it's always exciting in the same way. So when a new Reader opens the book at long last, Sylvie breaks the cardinal rule of all storybook characters: she looks up. And sets into motion a new story all her own.

Now, Sylvie is in for an adventure beyond any she could have imagined. As her journey takes her from the pages of a book to the landscape of dreams, Sylvie must summon all her courage to save her kingdom, find her way home, and figure out what it really means to do a Great Good Thing.

Review Quotes

James Howe I read the first sentence of "The Great Good Thing, " and it was love at first sight. Here is a stunningly original story, full of beautifully crafted words, ideas that crackle with intelligence, and characters who literally step off the pages and into the readers' minds and hearts. A timeless treasure for all ages.

About the Author

Roderick Townley is a poet, literary critic, and author of children's books. His Sylvie Cycle series includes The Great Good Thing, a Top Ten Book Sense Pick that Kirkus Reviews called "utterly winning"; Into the Labyrinth, which The New York Times called "a hopping fine read"; and The Constellation of Sylvie. Mr. Townley's novel Sky was described by VOYA as "one hell of a book." He has two children, Jesse and Grace, and is married to author Wyatt Townley. Visit him online at RoderickTownley.com.