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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Listened to audio; reading the book may be better because of the illustrations.
Not my favorite, but I'm not the intended audience. I can see how this would appeal to middleschoolers.
A very clever mystery focused on art and puzzles. Good for elementary and middle grade. Great illustrations by Brett Helquist (of Series of Unfortunate Events fame) with hidden puzzles in them.
The little girl I was babysitting for read this last month and I couldn't stop thinking about it!!!! So nostalgic to reread. So cute. I love Chicago.
Eh, it was okay. I didn't really connect with this book in any way, which obviously impacted my enjoyment of it. I didn't like that As a mystery novel, it was a great disappointment because the author didn't even give us reader a chance to discover the mystery for ourselves, or to connect the dots after reading the book.
Though this book had a lot of potential, the Balliett's writing skills fizzled and came up short. She neither satisfied me with an intriguing mystery, nor a very compelling narrative.
Spoiler
so much of the action was based on 'vaguely supernatural' intuitions like the pentominoes and the Lo! book.Spoiler
Wrapping up the mystery in a couple of the ending pages was also a big no-no from me.Though this book had a lot of potential, the Balliett's writing skills fizzled and came up short. She neither satisfied me with an intriguing mystery, nor a very compelling narrative.
This was a pretty fun read-aloud to my 2nd grader. It inspired us to look up Vermeer's paintings and to make a set of pentominoes.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I remember loving this when I was younger. I think it is definitely a fun read for a middle grade reader, but doesn't hold up quality-wise to me as an adult reader.
Have I read this since I was 9 years old? No. Will I give it 5 stars? Yes.
I. have such fond memories of reading this in school and looking for clues - adult reviewers who say "this is so unrealistic, basically unreadable" ummmm idk what you're on about. A 5th grader solving an art crime is super plausible. Kick rocks lol.
I. have such fond memories of reading this in school and looking for clues - adult reviewers who say "this is so unrealistic, basically unreadable" ummmm idk what you're on about. A 5th grader solving an art crime is super plausible. Kick rocks lol.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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
This was a cute book, designed to get kids involved in art. It takes place in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, which was fun and features two kids, a boy and a girl who become heroes in solving a mystery art crime. It was compelling and easily readable, however the way the author tied up the ending was a little over-the-top. It reminded me of the book about the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute, but not quite as good. It'll go back in my basket of kid's books.