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Tuesday McGillycuddy #1

Finding Serendipity

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When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday's mother � the famous author Serendipity Smith � has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

86 people are currently reading
2,436 people want to read

About the author

Angelica Banks

6books87followers
Angelica Banks is not one writer but two. Danielle Wood and Heather Rose are both award-winning authors and they have been friends for years. When they decided to write a book together they chose a pen name to make things easy.

Heather Rose
Before embarking on the Tuesday McGillycuddy series, Heather Rose was already the author of three novels for adults: White Heart, The Butterfly Man and The River Wife. Heather started working life as a writer before becoming an advertising copywriter in Melbourne. She has won numerous international creative awards. Her husband Rowan is a songwriter and composer and her three children (now rather grown-up) all love books, reading, art, movies, theatre and music. Heather has a fat cat called Chaplin, two elegant rats called Miko and Komiko, and she lives by the sea in Tasmania.

Danielle Wood
Before Danielle Wood invited Heather Rose to collaborate on the Tuesday McGillycuddy series, she was also an author of an adult novel, The Alphabet of Light and Dark (2002 Australian/Vogel Literary Award), a collection of short fiction: Rosie Little’s Cautionary Tales for Girls. She also wrote the biography Housewife Superstar: the very best of Marjorie Bligh and is editor of Marjorie Bligh’s HOME: Hints on Managing Everything and co-editor of Deep South: Stories from Tasmania. She has recently published a new collection of stories � Mothers� Grimm. Danielle started working life as a journalist but now teaches writing at the University of Tasmania. She lives with her husband, John, three wild and wonderful children, one smart kelpie called Scout, several pedigree guinea pigs, two rats and many thousands of bees.d

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380 (18%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
Profile Image for Pop Bop.
2,502 reviews123 followers
February 6, 2015
An Exciting and Inspirational Tale

So, here's the thing. There are many books out there that trumpet the thrill of reading, and of books, and of writing. They are all well intentioned and their goal, to instill a love of reading and of books, is laudable. But boy, they can be heavy-handed and preachy and just so unrelentingly insistent. The message is there, but no real story, and they often generate little interest from a young reader. It can all be just too eat-your-broccoli-ish.

And then you find a book like this. Blurbs refer to Dorothy and Toto and to Alice in Wonderland and to Peter Pan. And that actually hits the mark; there are echoes of all of them in this book. I got a sort of "Phantom Tollbooth" vibe. However you cast it, this book takes our heroine on a great adventure that just happens to keep circling around the idea that everyone has a story to write and that writing that story is magical and exciting.

But put the message aside for a bit. Our heroine, Tuesday McGillycuddy, is smart, resourceful, spirited, and happy. Her family is loving and supportive. When her famous writer Mom disappears, well Tuesday just has to follow a living thread of silver words to find her up in a magical world in the sky. It is Wendy flying out of the window and Dorothy and Toto, (Tuesday's dog joins her), following the road, and Alice meeting unusual characters. It's exciting and fantastic.

This is complemented by the fact that the writing style is clear and direct for a young reader, but often richer and more expressive and more fully imagined than one usually expects. There are some gentle and lyrical descriptions and some sweetly framed conversations between mother and daughter that are just way beyond what you usually get in fantasy/adventure. And even the simple line drawing illustrations are charming.

This is a ripping yarn, a touching family story, a tribute to writers, and an inspirational piece all wrapped together. Gosh, now I want to eat my broccoli.

Please note that I found this book on my own. I have no connection at all to either the authors or the publisher of this book.
Profile Image for anna ୨୧.
126 reviews699 followers
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June 26, 2024
ˏˋ°�*⁀� Blake and Tuesday shipper 🤞🏼



ೃ⁀� 𝓹𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭: i read this so long ago 😭 i literally remember buying this from the book fair 😭 when I was reading divine rivals i thought about this book and it’s magical typewriter 🤭
Profile Image for Dale Harcombe.
Author14 books398 followers
June 13, 2013
Four and a half stars.Tuesday McGillycuddy has a secret. Her mother is the famous writer Serendipity Smith, author of the popular Vivienne Small series of books. Tuesday loves it when her mother finishes a book because that means she has more time to spend with Tuesday. Tuesday also has a dog called Baxterr. (and no, that's not a misspelling) When Tuesday finds the new book is not finished and her mother is missing, Tuesday and Baxterr set out to find out what happened.
Tuesday and Bazterr are drawn into the world of story, where they try to rescue Tuesday’s mother. While there, they meet Vivienne Small but also a far less pleasant character in that of the pirate Carsten Mothwood. Don’t you just love all the inventive names of these characters? I’m sure children will too.
Most readers know what it is like to be drawn into a story by the characters and their adventures. This novel takes that experience and plays with it, creating a great adventure story with a quirky main character that I am sure will be loved by many readers.
The book is beautifully written by Angelica Banks who is not one writer but two: Heather Rose and Danielle Wood. They have created an imaginative story that is fresh, interesting and is sure to keep kids reading.
On the Allen and Unwin site you can find a guide and questions for teachers to help their class get the most out of this novel. It would be useful in literary studies, writing, imaginative use of language and developing characters as well as how reality and fiction can be intertwined. Also it could be used in discussing family relationships and friendships. This is a fascinating novel that good readers from 8 years and upwards should really enjoy. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Cat Carstairs.
298 reviews96 followers
April 21, 2021
A fun, magical adventure perfect for readers of all ages!

Finding Serendipity follows a young girl by the name of Tuesday who finds herself on a path to a wondrous fantasy world after she ventures into the place of stories to find her missing mother.

What I love most about this book is how it involves the love of writing into the story. Tuesday finds out that her mother, the famous author Serendipity Smith, journeys into the world she created when she writes, and Tuesday soon finds herself involved in her mother's fantasy. The story and characters are unique and creative, and the world of writing and the birthplace of stories has the ability to warm the heart of anyone with a story waiting against their fingertips.

This book is short but packs in a beautiful adventure. It leaves us wondering about the possibilities brimming inside our heads and in awe of the power of imagination. It's the perfect pick-me-up to save you from your reading slump, or the best feel-good novel to boost some nostalgia.

The writing is easy and fun, but engaging. There's never a boring moment in the story, not too fast and not too slow. It'll never get old, no matter how many times I read it! Finding Serendipity deserves 5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Juliette Simpson.
24 reviews33 followers
February 24, 2015
Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks is one of the most amazing books about a girl named Tuesday Mcgillycuddy.

One day when Tuesday comes home from school, she makes a wish. Hoping her wish comes true she races home with Baxterr, her dog.
When she gets home she crosses her fingers in hope of her wish coming true. Her father is home and he and she have dinner together. When Tuesday's bedtime approaches they go check on her mother, in hope that her book is finished. Which was Tuesday's wish.
When Serendipity, Tuesday's mother, is not in her writing room, her dad tells her not to worry.
When Tuesday goes to bed she worries. Tuesday soon embarks on a journey to find her mother in the land of literature.


I loved this book. I got it for my birthday two days ago and I couldn't put it down. I recommend it to anyone, again.
Profile Image for Lynn.
2,881 reviews15 followers
May 17, 2015
The cover was almost a turn-off for me (which I realize has little to do with the author!) but once I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised. This is an adventure story that gently weaves in how to write a story! Not the structure and the mechanics, but rather the emotional investment that wraps one up in the process;
-the "stories that choose their writer carefully,"
-how most of the work is done alone;
- "whatever you can imagine, you can make real."
-"how rare it is to get liftoff the very first time you try"
-"characters in stories have their own lives to live, and we are not important in those lives."
and many more little quips about the life of a writer.

So, why does the boy, who is a minor character, have to say, "s...cks"???
I"m not a prude, but I don't allow that word to be used by my students in school, and I would not read it aloud in a story to them. Was it to make him 'authentic'?? It's out of place with the rest of the story.

Profile Image for Edie.
489 reviews13 followers
February 26, 2015
How refreshing to find a book in which the main character, a young girl, DOES NOT want to write a book. The daughter of a famous author, Tuesday McGillycuddy just likes her home, her family and her dog, but when her mother goes missing she decides to go and find her and the adventure begins. This is a book about the power of words and story and the fun of adventure, with more than a nod or two to the relationship between author and character. Nice to find a reluctant hero with a large imagination and a small ego. The secondary characters, some only briefly introduce, are interesting especially the evil Mothwood. The sense of language is also lots of fun and hopefully will encourage young readers to rhyme as well as scheme.
Profile Image for Gouri Verma.
139 reviews
October 4, 2021
Ahh, so any idea how do authors come up with such great books? Nope? THEN READ IT!!❤️

This was such a good book💕 Though it is fantasy, it seemed real to me❤️ I really enjoyed most of the book but some of the parts were unnecessary. I loved the main character who is very cheerful and her cute dog❤️❤️ Amd her really sweet family😊 This was such a cozyyyyyyyy read!!❤️ And there were so many good twists😊


Profile Image for Celeste Swanson.
68 reviews
April 11, 2015
This book had a number of issues, including a weak plot. The transition between realism and fantasy was rushed and did not make very much sense. The conflict in this story was not suspenseful, and the “turning point� was anticlimactic.

Character development was also lacking in this book. The authors wanted us to believe that Tuesday changed at the end of the book, but we really do not see any evidence of this. I do not think that events in the story shaped her, and she did not grow in any way. Tuesday was also not a relatable character. We do not really know who she is, and her motivations do not make sense. Vivienne’s character was also not very well developed. It was difficult to get a sense of her as a character. We are told things about her in the story, but we really do not get to see anything except the surface level of her character. Tuesday’s parents were not well developed either. The mother character was very flat, and the father was too eccentric.

The authors of this book were trying really hard to make a quirky story, but it just did not work. The long descriptions were not charming, and they made the story drag. The authors seemed to have good overall ideas, but these ideas were poorly executed.
Profile Image for Susan.
235 reviews8 followers
June 8, 2015
I really wanted to love this one. I thought it started off strong but the middle just got too bogged down to keep the intended audience reading. And speaking of the intended audience, while I see this story line being appealing to the 3rd/4th grade crowd, I think the independent readability is more targeted to the 5th/6th grade crowd, who may pass it up because the cover has a younger feel.
Profile Image for Michelle Stimpson.
436 reviews10 followers
April 6, 2016
This book just jumped into my "Top 10 Favorite Books Of All Time" List.

I loved it so much that I don't know if I should scream from the rooftops to please, please read this book, or if I should keep it a secret all to myself.

I am going to buy about ten copies of this book and hand it out to all the writers I know. Every writer should read this book. At least twice.
14 reviews14 followers
March 24, 2015
This is my favorite book in the entire world! Even though this isn'r a review! I totally recommend it and hope you all like it!!
Profile Image for silly_person.
6 reviews6 followers
April 26, 2015
Omg Omg Omg I loved this book so much I hated it when I had to put it down!
Profile Image for Susan.
943 reviews76 followers
April 16, 2015
Tuesday McGillycuddy's mother, a famous children's author, disappears from her own home under fantastical circumstances. Tuesday unwittingly gets entangled in an adventure to bring her back which sends her on a dangerous quest through the very fictional world her mother helped bring to life.

I can feel it in my bones that this may be one of those books I'm in the minority with, but I have to call it like I see it. It's true, the plot sounds amazing, and to be fair, the book gets better as it picks up pace. It's one of those books, though, where every character has an elaborately quirky name and this name has to be referenced in its entirety (first and last) at nearly every occurrence just to drive it home. You know what I mean? There is just a lot of...cutesiness. Cute names, a cute pet dog with a cute name origin story, parents who have cute "bits" they do with their daughter--you know. This can be pulled off. I feel like Coraline could have fallen down this rabbit hole, but worked out very well in the end, mostly because the darkness counterbalanced everything nicely. Unfortunately with this book, until the adventure gets its teeth, it's just a little too sweet. I would have liked to see Tuesday with a little more grit, a little less happy-go-lucky/good-natured, for one thing. Fewer scenes with the parents and more scenes in the fictional world might also have helped. Serendipity's created world is actually pretty cool, and reminiscent of Neverland only with a feisty girl sprite fighting for it, instead of a boy who won't grow up. There's possibility there, and I am sure there is an audience for it regardless. Maybe fans of The Penderwicks, or Ingrid Law's Savvy? For my part though, I'm hoping the sequel will bring more of the feisty, less of the cute.
21 reviews2 followers
April 11, 2018
3rd Quarter 5th Choice book
I loved this book I really like how this book takes place inside of a story which takes place in a book her mom wrote. When Tuesday goes inside to the fairytale land to save her mom (Serendipity Smith) who is not really in the fairytale land she chooses to look in the story her mom wrote. While reading the book it felt like you were on the adventure with Tuesday and her dog Baxterr. I really liked how the setting took place inside of a story that her mom wrote Tuesday knew all about the book she was in because her mom had read it to her hundreds of times. There were lots of times when to book got really interesting like hen Tuesday was in the forest peppermint forest and saw the main character Vivienne and helped her fight Mothwood. I also like how this book had lots of different things going on with her mom wondering where she went and worried if she left and went to the fairytale land which is where Tuesday went, and Tuesday helping Vivienne fight Mothwood. The reason fairytale land is so dangerous is that you need to make it to the end in order to get out, and there are all sorts of dangerous things there. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy books and is ok reading books that take a bit to get to the main plot.
Profile Image for Nova.
563 reviews5 followers
June 21, 2013
I loved this book and am glad I bought it for our library. Tuesday's mother is a world famous author and goes missing. Tuesday follows her to the imaginary world of her mother's books to find her and bring her home. This story is a great metaphor for the power of reading and writing to take the reader to another world. My favourite line in the book: 'The Librarian is cool, but man is she obsessed with books!'
Profile Image for Jennifer.
676 reviews103 followers
September 15, 2015
Sparkling, whimsical, fun children's story that illustrates beautifully the joy and excitement of story creation. This book is a must for any writer of fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Content Advisory: There are a couple of surprisingly violent moments in this story (for a children's book), but there were no other objectionable aspects.
Profile Image for Amanda.
3,881 reviews41 followers
March 4, 2015
Best of 2015. Great way to look at writing/creating a book in a new way--throw in dastardly pirates, silly rhymes, a winged dog, a magical library & librarian (Nancy Pearl? like character), a flying girl with a treehouse, .... I could go on and on! Loved this.
Profile Image for Katie Krombein.
423 reviews2 followers
February 15, 2021
This book was delightful. My 12 year old read it and loved it, and I’m handing it to my 9 yr old next.
Profile Image for Maya .
266 reviews31 followers
March 18, 2018
That was okay. The plot was good, and the idea for the story was really good but, I would have given this book 2 stars because of all of the unknown things that we don't figure out, but it's a series. I'm not sure that I will read the rest of the series because it isn't resonating in my mind much, and it's not a thriller. This is good for much younger ages, but I didn't find much interest in it. It was a good book, but not absorbing.
Profile Image for Beth.
107 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2018
Wow! This book has just rocketed to the top of my list of contemporary middle grade novels. First because it is charming - genuinely, sweetly, uniquely charming. The descriptions are just lovely enough, the characters are real but not cloying, and the story is creative and exciting. But more than that, this is an absolutely magical book about writing - what it is and what it feels like. It manages to create a “land where stories come from� that feels more cohesive, funny, and real than those that several adult fantasy books about this same topic have managed to build. Highly recommended for kids and former kids.
Profile Image for Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)).
1,261 reviews108 followers
August 26, 2017
A fun middle grade book that was pretty smart and whimsical...and very meta-Books in books in books. Also, it has a dog. With wings. So that's pretty much all you need to know.
3 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2019
it is an amazing book, and it really inspired me to stick with the book that I've been attempting to write.
Profile Image for Ryan.
227 reviews53 followers
June 25, 2021
The kids loved this one.
Profile Image for Julie.
195 reviews
July 10, 2022
What a fun twist on the idea that the world of stories is real. I loved this one and can't wait to get the sequel at my next library visit!
Profile Image for fin ⏾⋆.˚.
111 reviews17 followers
March 5, 2025
loved this series as a wee lass
lowkey I want to reread them
Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews

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