How did I not find out about this until a year after book one? Is that the author and illustrator of Ivy+Bean? This is big. This is a cold, calculated series designed to wear away at your funny bone and wallet.

Welcome to Stella & Marigold.

Premise

Stella and Marigold live in a half-house (on the bottom). Stella is seven (2nd grade). Marigold is four (Preschool). They’re sisters. Ever since Marigold was born, Stella has taken it upon herself to teach her little sister about the world.

But mostly it’s a slice of life where every chapter is a separate story. Let me repeat that.

Every chapter in this chapter book is a standalone story.

Unprecedented. Unbelievable. Underhanded.

Book 1

Book 1 contains seven short stories. They range from general introductions to the characters, to Marigold getting stuck in a tunnel, to a four page chapter about Stella being stick. All very tame, but all very funny.

Book 2

Book 2 contains nine stories. The stories in this book are a little more interconnected than book one, with a few small plotlines that carry over between stories. Stella and Marigold try to fill a best friends list and Marigold takes their neighbor’s mermaid figure in hopes they’ll become friends for said list. These two points carry over in a few stories until they’re tied up in the end.

There’s also a chapter where everyone in Stella’s class wishes it would snow, then it doesn’t. There’s a five page chapter about band-aids.

The Lines

This is Annie Barrows we’re talking about here. I guess I haven’t done a Series Spotlight on Ivy+Bean yet, but that means good writing, people. Check these out:

• When Stella got home from school, Marigold was lying in the middle of the hallway, covered in blood.
  “Oh, no!” cried Stella. “Marigold’s covered in blood!
  She knelt by Marigold’s side and buried her face in Marigold’s stomach, moaning.
  “It’s marker!” Marigold giggled. “Did I fool you?”
  “For a second, you did,” lied Stella.
  
  That first line might be the most hardcore line I’ve ever read in a chapter book.
  
• Marigold ran out of the room.
  There was a silence.
  Stella listened to it. “She’s in the closet.”
  
  Amazing sisterly bond. Stella knows Marigold so well she can tell exactly where she went based on sound. Or lack thereof.
  
• Before she knew what she was doing, Stella was out on the front porch. She grabbed Marigold by the hand, and together, they ran, ran, ran, down the front steps, around the side of the house to the shed, where they yanked open the front door and crouched down among the flowerpots and dirt where no one would ever find them again.
  
  Did you catch it? That last forty-eight words is one sentence. Not only is that a feat in itself, but it’s a masterful way to convey that action. The sentence doesn’t stop until they’re safe. Usually shorter sentences are used to convey fast, tense action, but here, it’s just one really long one.
  
• There’s a chapter called The Underworld. The entirety of it is great. Just read it. That last set of lines is from that chapter.

Conclusion

Bit of a shorter post this month, but I really didn’t want to spoil too much. This is probably going to be another big series, so you shouldn’t sleep on it.

Still not convinced? It’s like Ivy+Bean, if they lived in a house together. Well, not if you ask Barrows and Blackall. They talk a bit more about the creation of Stella and Marigold in that article, including confirming that Ivy+Bean is over forever ever. Talk about heartbreaking. At least we have a new pair to fill that void. For ten more books at least, surely.

Maybe that means I should talk a bit more about Ivy+Bean next month. It’s a classic for reason.

Until then~