After years of never leaving her house and having to serve her cruel parents night and day, Liberty Aimes finally gets the chance to escape after discovering her father's secret lab. A bit of lifting potion and comprehension cream send her on her way with the sudden ability to communicate with animals. Hoping to find her way to an elite boarding school she's heard about via the mail, Liberty starts on an adventure like no other!

I saw this book by chance at my local library and thought the whimsical cover art was appealing. Further inspection into the description sounded promising and I even considered perhaps purchasing a copy for a young one in my life. Good thing I decided to read the book first.

The book starts out with a very rocky start on page by describing the Aimes home thus: "The house at 33 Gooch Street was decrepit beyond description. If it could walk, it would limp. If it could talk, it would stutter. If it could smile, it would have rotting teeth." Could you imagine being a child born with a physical disability (particularly a limp or a stutter) and realizing this author equates that with rottenness and decrepitness? What a horrible feeling that must be.

Within that first chapter, the author goes on to describe Liberty's foul parents: Her mother is overweight ("her mother was fat, Libby knew, because she ate nonstop.") and her father has a crooked back and smells bad. Let me be clear: Liberty's parents are awful people. But they are awful people because of the way they treat their daughter, not because of the way they look. Maybe it was just because this book was so blatant about it, but I am so tired of children's books in particular equating evil with ugly, fat, and/or old. Take note children's authors: You are not doing children any favors by brainwashing them into believing that the only ones out to hurt them are people who are unattractive or overweight. (The book does slightly redeem itself later by having Liberty note in her thoughts that it's hard to tell which people she should trust out in the world because there's no easy sign. But it's one of those cases of too little, too late.)

Liberty's father is also self-described early on as a "friggin' genius," a description that is repeated numerous times throughout the book. Keep in mind that the main character in this book is 10 years old, and children reading the book are like to be between 8 and 12 years old themselves. Is a sarcastically thrown "friggin' genius" really something you'd want your 8-year-old saying? I don't know why this word choice was considered a good idea.

However, the rest of the book picks up from that poor beginning, although it is not without some additional flaws. Liberty's adventures make for a pretty quick read, as you want to know what will happen next or how she will get out of some new scrape. Still, there's nothing here that's earth-shattering or amazing. If you've read other books about plucky orphans or runaways, this book isn't anything terribly exciting in terms of newness, although it will hold your attention fairly well. You'll probably even guess the ending (or at least part of it), although some of the fun is reading on to see if you're right.

Speaking of the ending, it's worth noting that the otherwise happy conclusion is again soiled by the author's fat shaming, as Liberty's mother is 'rescued' by her old boyfriend Worm Man, who immediately demands that she eat only healthy food going forward and exercise daily after he realizes that his former flame is 'hidden' somewhere in that "big blob of flesh." Some knight in shining armor.

The pencil drawings scattered throughout the book are fitting to the text and inject an amount of charm into a book that needs it at times. ( )

I added this book to my reading list after seeing Book Aunt's delightful review. Of course, it then sat on my shelf, and was renewed, and sat on my shelf, and was renewed, until somebody put a hold on it and I gulped it down last night!

In a Dahlesqian world, Liberty Aimes is a miserable Cinderella, cooking huge piles of fried foods for her monstrous mother and trying to stay away from her nasty and evil father, Sal. But one day a series of events inspire her to break the rules and try something new and scary and she manages to live up to her name for the first time in her unhappy life. She'll encounter magical potions, mutated animals, sweet-talking villains, and more before she finally finds her happy ending.

Verdict: With villains of Dahlesquian proportions, editorial asides a la Snicket, and a suprise around every corner, kids who like realistic fantasy with a wacky flavor will love this story. Pair this with Suzanne Selfors' Fortune's Magic Farm and pass out to fans of Dahl and Snicket!

ISBN: 978-0375837715; Published June 2009 by Wendy Lamb; Borrowed from the library

Save for the fact that she is imprisoned in her own home by her never-do-well parents, Liberty Aimes is like any other ten-year old girl—curious, high-spirited, and full of imagination. When a forbidden trip into her father’s secret laboratory leads her into a tricky situation, Liberty doesn’t panic—she just pops out the magical Lifting Soda and floats away into new adventures. Along the way, characters like Birdbrain and No Name help Liberty try to figure out just what her Destiny might be. Told with a seemingly unending supply of optimism, The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes is a tale about remaining upbeat even when things seem impossible. While the story is light and quirky, occasional moments of advice interrupt the whimsy and feel forced and out of place (ex: “If you are a child facing such a crisis, it helps to talk to a trusted grown-up.”). The story also wraps up a bit too quickly, leaving readers wondering about the fate of Liberty. Scattered illustrations by Greg Swearingen complement the whimsical nature of the tale. For ages 8-12. Additional purchase. ( )

This novel is charming and heartwarming. Liberty (though everyone calls her Libby) lives with her parents at 33 Gooch St. Her parents are like a nursery rhyme: Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. Her father is tall, thin, and "a friggin genius". Her mother is tremendously fat and dreams about being on a makeover show. The only other person who know that Liberty even exists is the Worm man who lives across the road. One day opportunity knocks and Liberty gets her hands on one of her father's inventions, which allows her to leave home in an unconventional manner. Soon she is out in the wide world meeting scoundrels, clowns, mimes, lions, pigeons, and cats in her quest to attend the perfect boarding school where she can read books and never see her father again. ( )