Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the child-heroes of this book, while clever, lie to each other and to their parents, and sneak out at night in dangerous situations.
Families who read this book could discuss the historical background. Who was Frank Lloyd Wright, and what is the real history of the Robie Residence? As they travel through this mystery, they can find and decode the clues, both verbal and pictorial, scattered throughout the book. Also, why does Tommy behave the way he does? If you were Calder or Petra, how would you have handled it?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Kids who liked Chasing Vermeer will probably enjoy this sequel about unlikely friends saving a Frank Lloyd Wright house -- and solving a mystery. There are more art crimes, more clues hidden in pictures, more codes to solve, more pentominoes, more mathematical, literary, and historical connections -- more of everything that made the first book fun. But somehow it adds up to less.
Aside from the lack of novelty endemic to most sequels, the clever bits are mostly extraneous. You don't need to find the hidden pictures or decode the codes or understand pentominoes to follow the story -- none of them are integral. The author introduces interesting strands (an "Invisible Man" connection), characters (a caped stranger on a train), and ideas (the living house, telepathy) and then drops them again without their having served any purpose. It's all pleasant and interesting, in a tepid sort of way, and some kids will certainly enjoy it. And they might learn something about Frank Lloyd Wright on the way.
From The Book
At that moment he lost his footing. Startled, he flung his arms out for balance. Had he been standing on a loose tile? Was this an earthquake? He listened for car alarms, but the street below him was quiet. There was a second, longer shudder, and he thought he saw the roof itself rippling toward him in quick, irregular lines. The building seemed to have come alive, twitching in the irritable way an animal does when it wants to get rid of a fly.
Plot Summary:
Petra and Calder from Chasing Vermeer, finishing up their sixth grade year, are joined by Calder's friend Tommy, who has moved back to town, and the trio is not a comfortable one. Tommy resents Calder and Petra's friendship, and is sullen and rude about it.
Then their teacher, Ms. Hussey, introduces them to a tragedy in the making -- Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House is about to be cut into four pieces and sent to different museums. The kids and teacher quickly organize an effective protest that gets plenty of media and political attention.
But there's more going on at Robie House than meets the eye: strange lights, worker injuries, hidden codes, and a house that may have a mind of its own bring the trio together to solve the mystery and save the house.
Related Books:
This is the Sequel to:
Chasing Vermeer
More Thoughtful Mysteries:
Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
When Grandfather's Parrot Inherited Kennington Court by Linda Allen
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Up from Jericho Tel by E.L. Konigsburg
A Watching Silence by Anthony Masters
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Holes by Louis Sachar
Related Video
Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film by Ken Burns
Related Web Sites
Internet Guide to Wright
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ViolenceThieves tie the kids up and threaten them. |
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Social BehaviorThe kids tell lies, hide things from their parents, sneak out at night, and engage in reckless behavior. |
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