In the town of Bonnyripple, no one keeps a grudge except Cornelius, the man whose job it is to do just that. “Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios — the Grudge Keeper received them all, large and small, tucking each one carefully away in his ramshackle cottage.” But when a fierce wind blows, all the slips of papers bearing grudges get mixed up. Worse than that, they pile up, burying Cornelius beneath them. The townspeople are again at odds with one another with all those grudges set loose, but soon grudges old and new are forgotten in the effort to free Cornelius. Mara Rockliff’s fresh and spirited original tale is a wonderfully paced, language-rich narrative. Eliza Wheeler’s watercolor and ink illustrations reflect the folkloric feel of the story, offering an old-fashioned European sensibility to the characters’ dress and the setting while showing a cast of characters that is racially diverse. The playful lines and charming details of Wheeler’s art perfectly echo Rockliff’s sense of whimsy. (Ages 5–9)

How do you resolve a grudge? Take it to the Grudge Keeper! But be careful not to accumulate too many.

No one in the town of Bonnyripple ever kept a grudge. No one, that is, except Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper. Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios—the Grudge Keeper received them all, large and small, tucking each one carefully away in his ramshackle cottage.

Gradually the grudges accumulate as Minnie Fletcher’s goat eats Elvira Bogg’s prizewinning petunias, Sylvester Quincy snags the schoolmaster’s toupee, and Big Otto stomps on Lily Belle’s feet during the spring fling.

One night the wind rises, flinging together the people and their grudges, scrambling the squabbles with the quibbles and piling the lows blows and the high dudgeon together. And where is Cornelius?