Chris Raschka, a two-time Caldecott Medalist, brings his signature artistic flair to the middle-grade novel Peachaloo in Bloom. The story takes us to the small town of Fourwords, Pennsylvania, where twelve-year-old Peachaloo Piccolozampa is spending her summer. Everything changes when a wasp sting gifts her with “Extraordinary Wasp Perception,” an uncanny ability to understand exactly what people mean, regardless of the words they actually use. This superpower is put to the test when she discovers that a developer known as Major Gasbag intends to pave over the town’s beloved swimming hole and the historic Ajax Mansion to create a luxury golf course. Peachaloo, her grandmother, and her best friend Lily must work together to expose the developer’s deceit while the town prepares for its annual pageant. Recognized as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, the book features Raschka’s own pen-and-ink drawings and has earned starred reviews for its unique narrative voice and small-town heart.
For educators looking to spark discussions on environmental justice, this story provides a vivid link to SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The conflict isn’t just about a golf course; it’s about the right of a community to access natural spaces that were intended to be open to all. Peachaloo’s discovery of the Ajax Mansion’s history—a place where the original inhabitants valued nature over luxury- could be used to kick off a social studies project on land use and public heritage. The story illustrates what it means to be “principled” in a way that feels grounded and real, as Peachaloo uses her unique perception to pull back the curtain on corporate greed. It shows students that protecting the environment often starts with paying attention to the details and speaking up when a “gasbag” tries to take away shared resources. By the final page, readers see that youth agency isn’t about having magic powers; it’s about having the courage to organize and protect the places they love.
