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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Pretty sure I read this as kid solely because it has the same illustrator as A Series of Unfortunate Events which I was obsessed with. But it’s super good in its own right! What’s not to love - precocious kids, puzzles, art, Chicago! Just a lovely cozy mystery. I plan on reading the rest in the series! And I want to go back and try to solve the puzzle that’s in the illustrations! Also I want my own set of pentominos, they seem delightful to have on hand.
For book talks:
Two kids interested in puzzles get entangled in a mystery surrounding a stolen work of art. A crabby old neighbour, their teacher and Petra's dad are all suspects and are all starting to act weird.
Two kids interested in puzzles get entangled in a mystery surrounding a stolen work of art. A crabby old neighbour, their teacher and Petra's dad are all suspects and are all starting to act weird.
I really enjoyed the read. It was very entertaining. I think one of my favorite parts was working out the codes, as a lot of books don’t have that or they fully print out what it says without really giving you the option to work it out yourself.
A clever, exciting mystery. I got a little bogged down with the pentominoes (and I love pentominoes), and the encoded letters that I had to decode, and the pictures I was supposed to find clues in. The story itself was really fun, but I kept thinking that it was written more for a kid who is so smart she is bored in regular classes and needs extra activities to keep her interest. For someone who could never solve an Encyclopedia Brown mystery, this just made me feel stupid.
I liked the way the story illustrated what happens to people and relationships under threat from a terrorist. This kind of stress brings some people together and forges unlikely friendships, and draws others apart.
I liked the way the story illustrated what happens to people and relationships under threat from a terrorist. This kind of stress brings some people together and forges unlikely friendships, and draws others apart.
This quirky YA book is probably not everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoyed it - it is a great read-aloud and the puzzle inside a mystery about stolen art, had something for both my kids to keep them engaged. Though slightly improbable at times, the pace is quick and my kids enjoyed it as well. Their only complaint was that the ending was a little abrupt. Definitely worth checking out.
i remember this as being one of the best and most fun stories i read in my whole childhood (which was, true to my current existence, full of books), but i just gave its reviews a cursory glance, ready to see the hordes agreeing with that take, and saw a whole lot of one and two star reviews.
...
is this how you guys feel when i write my lil rant reviews about your favorites?
because if you're trying to teach me literary empathy, it won't work.
on the to reread shelf it goes.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago, blah blah
...
is this how you guys feel when i write my lil rant reviews about your favorites?
because if you're trying to teach me literary empathy, it won't work.
on the to reread shelf it goes.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago, blah blah
It was okay. In my opinion, it was too confusing, and I ended up not knowing what was going on. But I finally figured out the plot, but I don't know a lot of things.
A boring and confusing mess. Also coincidences mean a lot less when you write them in a story.
This was awesomesauce. I did not expect it to be anything but a book for class, but I was totally hooked. Way better than most mysteries for adults that I've read. Again, this is why children's literature rocks.