Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

The first third of The Third Mushroom had me worried.  Melvin was being snarky, Ellie was enthusing over science, there was take-out for dinner…was it just going to be more of the same?  Because while that can be fun, it’s rarely enough, you know?

I shouldn’t have worried.

Third Mushroom ended up being a lovely story about hard choices, different kinds of friendships, and the importance of having people to remember with.  There are pets; there are fruit flies (with and without wings); there are malteds; and there are piles upon piles of dirty clothes.  What matters most, however, is that Mushroom completes what begins in The Fourteenth Goldfish, in a poignant and satisfying way.  The two are a near-perfect pair.  Now–if you’ll excuse me–I’m off to decide if we’re having takeout for dinner.