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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
The characters are good the mystery solving and culprit catching… not so much. There was a lot of potential but it wasn’t well executed, the last 1-2 chapters are explanations.
I really wanted to like this, and I think it could have been really great, but unfortunately the coincidences and psychic connections were all too far fetched for me within the context of an "ordinary" book (no supernatural/magical element).
I liked the kids, the way they were nerdy and both from interesting racial backgrounds, and the way the authority figures were all fallable and the kids genuinely cared about them. I also liked the way art - history and interpretation - was handled, because art wasn't a subject discussed very much for me in school (besides making clay pots and drawing in art class). But the central mystery fell very flat for me.
I liked the kids, the way they were nerdy and both from interesting racial backgrounds, and the way the authority figures were all fallable and the kids genuinely cared about them. I also liked the way art - history and interpretation - was handled, because art wasn't a subject discussed very much for me in school (besides making clay pots and drawing in art class). But the central mystery fell very flat for me.
Not nearly as good as I remember it being, but I’ll probably still finish listening to the rest of the books in the series just to get that sense of completion I never got in elementary/middle school because the library didn’t have them all
I like how the book sort of has mini puzzles for you to figure out.
every year, my dad gives each of his students a set of pentominoes and reads this book to his class :’) but reading it by myself and without a fun lil puzzle was still ***marvelous***
Really liked the illustrations and thought it was really clever, and lovely writing, but didn't appreciate the ending.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
SPOILER ALERT!
It works well as a quick read for a class to learn the elements of a mystery. We were able to dissect the book on that basis, play with pentominoes, and gain some vocabulary. It began with a strong hook and the Hyde Park and Loop connections made this ole gal miss her city, but the story lagged after Chapter 13. It was difficult to push through with the nonsensical coincidences (Charles Fort book, Mr. Watch, dark wood panels, staircases, etc.) and overflow of red herrings. My students were devising more interesting plot twists from musings about Mrs. Sharpe's "not dead" husband being the mastermind thief to Petra's dad being a letter recipient or worse! I was disappointed in sudden drops in plot development to digress into excruciating details of the two university halls at the University of Chicago. The final disappointment in the revelation of the thief and "non" capture really put the nail in the coffin of continuing with this series.
It works well as a quick read for a class to learn the elements of a mystery. We were able to dissect the book on that basis, play with pentominoes, and gain some vocabulary. It began with a strong hook and the Hyde Park and Loop connections made this ole gal miss her city, but the story lagged after Chapter 13. It was difficult to push through with the nonsensical coincidences (Charles Fort book, Mr. Watch, dark wood panels, staircases, etc.) and overflow of red herrings. My students were devising more interesting plot twists from musings about Mrs. Sharpe's "not dead" husband being the mastermind thief to Petra's dad being a letter recipient or worse! I was disappointed in sudden drops in plot development to digress into excruciating details of the two university halls at the University of Chicago. The final disappointment in the revelation of the thief and "non" capture really put the nail in the coffin of continuing with this series.
It was very entertaining and held the reader to the story.
Sheen
Sheen