Quirky characters abound in middle grade novels. It’s one of the things I love about them.But Nan Marino’s new book, Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace, has an entire cast of quirky characters living ostensibly normal lives … except for the megastar, Elvis Ruby. Flipping pancakes in a small town in New Jersey’s Pinelands may be a fate worse than death for his cousin, Millicent, but for Elvis, it’s the first time he’s gotten the chance to be normal.(Cover art from the blog of John Hendrix, Drawing on Deadline)The Premise: An internationally famous 11-year-old musical prodigy freezes up before his …

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