Reviews

Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson, Natalie Andrewson

briarrose1021's review against another edition

5.0

I do enjoy a good mystery, and this one was wonderful. While little clues were dropped along the way, it was done in such a way as to not give away the whole mystery too early. While I had figured out part of the first twist, I did not suspect the rest of the twist at all.

I also really liked the development of the children's characters. While they were, to some extent, a bit more two-dimensional than I typically care for, it was not so much as to make them unrealistic. Rather, it was that their identifying characteristics were emphasized just a bit. The tale being told from Tabitha's point of view was also very nice, as it put a spotlight on the one child who was most likely to just disappear into the background, especially in light of how she had been treated by her adopted parents and their plans for her after the weekend.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, and Susie Riddle did a wonderful job as narrator. I highly recommend this book, whether you choose to read or listen to it.

libscote's review against another edition

4.0

This is a fantastic mystery. A mysterious benefactor invites six children to visit her, with one of them gaining an incredible inheritance. However, she seems very suspicious and a little too fond of knives. Can Tabitha solve the mystery in time? I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists and turns (others were predictable), but I would hand this to any mystery lover, particularly of ones that feel British.

alex_henault's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

hunnybeemarie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

rebalwil's review against another edition

5.0

This was an excellent middle grade mystery novel with great lessons about family and self worth. My kids (13, 10, and 8) all loved it! We read it aloud as a family and I chose to edit some of the language choices.

cmspin's review against another edition

4.0

Good j fiction. For readers of The Mysterious Howling and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

bookworm_baggins's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book so much. Beautifully written, full of lovely descriptions and interesting commentary on people. Perhaps a little too neat and tidy at the end, but I think that mostly added to the charm.

poppy_00's review against another edition

5.0

Superba ! I-as da 10 stele dacă as putea . Merita citită .

rach's review against another edition

4.0

A lovely little mystery. Tabitha is such a delightful, creative, inquisitive child, and it was so painful to see how much she tried to make her horrible parents love her.

Spoiler

I was totally not surprised and thrilled when it turned out her parents had adopted her. Even though that made her feel completely alone at first, in the end, I think it allowed her to separate herself from them emotionally and finally release the anger and resentment she'd felt towards them all these years.

The story started out very Wonka-esque, with the seemingly mysterious selection of 6 children, but once the families arrived at the house and met the Countess, that's where the stories diverged. Instead of looking for a child worthy enough to inherit her fortune, the Countess was

Spoiler

looking for her long-lost grandchild, hoping to establish a relationship with him or her, and to give them everything she couldn't give to her son.

Spoiler

Parts of this mystery were pretty easy to guess: it seemed obvious that Tabitha was going to be the grandchild, and it became clear pretty early on that the "Countess" was really Mary and "Mary" was really the Countess. What I didn't guess, though, was the twin twist, both of them! I didn't expect for Hattie to appear, though I'm glad she did, because I couldn't figure out how Tabitha's life would change drastically if her real grandmother was dead. I also didn't expect that the kids were all sets of twins! Obviously Tabitha and Oliver seemed to like each other's company, and at one point they mentioned they had the same color eyes, but I kind of was taking it more down a romantic road - I know, they are only 11, but 11 year olds get crushes, too! Imagine my surprise when they were suddenly revealed to be siblings!

If you don't mind stories wrapping themselves up nicely, this story ended perfectly. The horrid, villainous people all get either sent to jail or exiled to other continents. The good, deserving people all ended up with happy families. I'm happiest for Tabitha, of course, because it's her life that changed the most drastically - she suddenly has a brother, a group of friends, and a grandmother who loves her for who she is. And what more can you want out of life?

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to younger readers who like mysteries.

romanticashale's review against another edition

5.0

this book was a delight and although i saw some of the twists coming, there was still plenty of surprises