Ella Minnow Pea

by Mark Dunn · 2001

On the whimsical island of Nollop, a monument to Nevin Nollop—creator of the famous pangram “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”—holds the alphabet itself. When letters begin to fall from the statue, the island’s Council declares each missing character forbidden, forcing residents to rewrite their lives without them. Young Ella Minnow Pea refuses to let her community’s love of language be silenced. Through clever letters, daring wordplay, and a series of increasingly absurd bans, Ella rallies friends and family to resist the creeping tyranny and protect the very words that define them. Mark Dunn’s epistolary debut is a witty, heartfelt celebration of free expression and the power of language, perfect for anyone who delights in the quirks of the alphabet.