 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Calder Game
- By Blue Balliett
- Genre: Mystery
Common Sense Media says
Third in the series is the weakest of all.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the only troubling thing here is the behavior of the kids who are the main characters. Calder strikes up a conversation with a stranger in a public park, decides not to tell his father, and later goes off alone with the man. Tommy and Petra disobey the police, and Tommy steals a wheelbarrow.
What's the story?
After a class trip to see an exhibition of the works of Alexander Calder in Chicago, Calder Pillay travels to a small village in England with his father, who is attending a conference. There they discover another work of Calder in the town square, but soon after they arrive both the artwork and the boy disappear. Hearing this, Calder's friends, Tommy, Petra, and Mrs. Sharpe, arrive to help with the investigation.
Is it any good?
Chasing Vermeer was a tightly woven combination of math, mystery, codes, and art history that was compared to The DaVinci Code. The sequel, The Wright 3, was less tightly woven but still entertaining. But THE CALDER GAME makes it clear that the author went one book too far.
Codes are still here, but have nothing to do with the plot. Pentominoes have become little more than something for Calder to fiddle with. The mystery is bogus, and the kids, after much lurking around, don't even solve it. There's really nothing left except for the author's fascination with art, which she tries to pound into her readers at tedious length. Even the story sags; The author lamely tries to gin up some tacked-on suspense with foreboding chapter endings that lead nowhere and are about nothing -- "a sense of something hovering" (there isn't anything), watching eyes (which are never connected to anyone), strange sounds, and the like. Balliett writes well enough, but it's time for her to move on to a new idea.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Alexander Calder and his amazing art. Why does it have the effect on us that it does? In what way is it art? To learn more about Calder, start with the links below, and look to see if there is any of his art near you that you can visit. Also, there are many books on how to make mobiles, and your kids may enjoy trying their hands at it.
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AGE
Good for tweens and older but not younger.
I love it i Think that as long as your kids understand that they should never talk to a stranger not tell you about it and not go with them somewhere alone, it is great. It got my 12 year old interested in art.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 4, 2011
AGE
the calder game
Ilove the book
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AGE
Read it! Now!
The Calder Game is a wonderful book! Full of Art, History, loyalty, and those suspenseful edge-of-your-seat bits! Some adult situations, yes, but that's to be expected.Perfect for any adventure craving child!
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| Author: | Blue Balliett |
| Illustrator: | Brett Helquist |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Mystery |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date: | May 1, 2008 |
| Number of pages: | 379 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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