Book excerpt: In this magical fantasy adventure by the award-winning author of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, a talking toad takes a girl on a wild ride. Jennifer Murdley has always wanted to be pretty. That’s why she’s so surprised to leave Mr. Elives’s magic shop with a particularly ugly toad. As her worst enemy says, “A toad for a toad.” But this toad can talk. And what it has to say sets Jennifer off on a journey that leads her into the company of the Immortal Vermin and straight to the Beauty Parlor of Doom . . . where she comes face-to-face with her deepest fears and dreams. Jennifer Murdley would give anything to be beautiful. But sometimes anything is too high a price to pay. “Endlessly funny . . . . A roller-coaster ride of a story, full of humor and even wisdom.” —Kirkus Reviews “Fast-moving with slapstick humor . . . . Recommended.” —Horn Book