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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I think I read this on a plane. I had good feelings about it at the time, though I don't remember it at all now.
I thought this was a fun light mystery for kids. Not perfect by any means, but a good adventure story. Loved the focus on art and Chicago especially.
(3.5 stars) I bought this book as a kid because it seemed smart and eccentric, and remember enjoying it but finding it unsatisfying. There’s something very reassuring about rereading it as an adult and coming to the same conclusion. Aesthetically, this book is so fun - mysterious old buildings, secrets, and a university - but it isn’t actually satisfying as a mystery. The over reliance on coincidences and the supernatural bothered me as a kid, and it bothered me now. Disappointing.
Read for Popsugar: A mystery or thriller
I think I would have eaten this up as a kid - it's giving Westing Game, it's giving Eleventh Hour - and I would have poured over the illustrations trying to figure out the secrets. As a grown-up, I still enjoyed it, but was less impressed that a lot of the mystery solving relied on coincidences, dreams, and intuition rather than true problem-solving.
I think I would have eaten this up as a kid - it's giving Westing Game, it's giving Eleventh Hour - and I would have poured over the illustrations trying to figure out the secrets. As a grown-up, I still enjoyed it, but was less impressed that a lot of the mystery solving relied on coincidences, dreams, and intuition rather than true problem-solving.
Just couldn’t get into it. I’d listen to entire chapters and read along, and still have no idea what was happening
I liked these rascally kids...taking on a mystery, treating outcasts with some kindness and finding out a little about art in the meantime. Nice read, good for a kid who is a voracious reader, and who likes a series.
This book has a great premise - someone has stolen a Vermeer painting and two fifth graders find themselves in the unlikely position of being the only people able to recognize some clues and coincidences to solve the mystery. It takes place in Hyde Park, Chicago, which was also fun. But ultimately, it was a 2.5 star book for me (rounded up to 3 stars because I didn't try to solve the pentominoes puzzles or look for the clues in the pictures and that was pretty cool). Like Cat, I really wanted to like this more! Oh well.
I liked this one better than the other Balliett book I've read, but it was just fine. The mystery is good, with lots of art history tucked into the story, but it just seems little far fetched that two middle school students could solve it. I would be interested in finding out what kids think about this book. The characters are interesting and realistic.
Audiobook note: the narrator occasionally pronounces Petra as “Peetra” which is an odd inconsistency. I didn’t particularly like the voice acting and thought that she makes both Petra and Calder sound childish and annoying, which is not what I want for the protagonists of a middle grade book who are supposed to be thoughtful and clever.
I suspect that this book loses a lot of its charm in audiobook form, since the reason I first picked it up in elementary school was solely for Brett Helquist’s illustrations. Still, I think it withstands the test of time better than some books from the same era, and I’d still recommend it to middle grade readers looking for smart, puzzle-solving protagonists.
I suspect that this book loses a lot of its charm in audiobook form, since the reason I first picked it up in elementary school was solely for Brett Helquist’s illustrations. Still, I think it withstands the test of time better than some books from the same era, and I’d still recommend it to middle grade readers looking for smart, puzzle-solving protagonists.
Read this with my 6th grade book club and they liked the codes, mystery, etc.