Review by Booklist Review
Soon after completing third grade, Harriet learns that she will be staying with Dad's mother, Nanu, for a while because her pregnant mother must remain in bed until the baby arrives. Though Harriet normally loves visiting her grandmother on Marble Island, she resents the sudden change of plans. Still, after finding an old-fashioned key, she's determined to find a lock that it will open and, perhaps, a treasure. Early in her involving first-person narrative, Harriet confesses that she often lies. Actually, those lies are so blatantly untrue that she initially seems younger than her years. But after learning that even the adults she loves most may have struggled as children to overcome bad habits, she begins to take more responsibility for her words. Kids moving up to chapter books will particularly appreciate Ho's many grayscale illustrations, which offer lively, perceptive views of the story's characters, settings, and props, including the "really, really old key" that motivates Harriet to discover more about her beloved father and his childhood home. An appealing chapter book for young readers.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rising fourth grader and narrator Harriet Wermer starts this chapter book with "the worst things first." Specifically, Harriet reveals, she lies, has night terrors, occasionally wets her bed, and can get what her mother calls "out of hand." The latter occurs when Harriet learns that her parents are sending her to stay with her paternal grandmother, Nanu, for the summer due to her pregnant mother's prescribed bed rest. Harriet resents the decision, but once she and the family feline, Matzo Ball, settle into her grandmother's B&B on Marble Island, Calif., she does manage to encounter some of the "adventure and mystery" that Nanu claims are "everywhere, if you know how to look." There's the old-fashioned key Harriet finds in the shed, and a seemingly abandoned "Gingerbread House"; learning how both are tied to her father's childhood, Harriet gains insight into him and herself. Mixing humor with drama, Arnold (Starla Jean) once again shows her clear understanding of children's emotions and behaviors as she traces presumed-white Harriet's changing heart and views. With its short chapters, lively occasional illustrations by Ho (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners), and energetic feuds between Harriet's cat and her grandmother's beloved basset hound, this series opener is a winner. Ages 6--10. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--On the last day of third grade, Harriet's pregnant mother is put on strict bed rest until the baby comes--which isn't supposed to happen until August. This, coupled with her father's busy work schedule, is the reason why Harriet is shipped off to her grandmother's bed-and-breakfast on Marble Island for the entire summer. As much as Harriet loves the island and her Nanu, she is understandably angry at the situation and struggles to adapt. Her first-person narration showcases her conflicting actions as she tries to understand her complex and deep emotions. She also searches for a treasure her father mentioned, discovering facts about his childhood and realizing that there is more to him than she thought. Frequent black-and-white illustrations depict characters as white. Harriet is cued as Jewish. The slow, leisurely pace of Harriet's adventures, as well as her significant emotional growth in making peace with her situation and father, will have readers thinking a whole summer has passed, but the book spans less than two weeks. VERDICT A gentle, slow-moving summer adventure that's big on character growth; a sweet additional purchase.--Jennifer Rothschild
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Third grader Harriet is convinced that she's in for a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad summer. Her mother is having a difficult pregnancy, so Harriet is getting shipped off for the summer to stay with her grandmother who runs a bed-and-breakfast on Marble Island. She's always loved short visits to the tranquil island with her parents, but spending two whole months there without them means change, and Harriet does not like change. She especially doesn't like the idea of getting a new sibling. Fortunately, she's got her beloved cat Matzo Ball to keep her company on Marble Island, and when she finds a beautiful old key in her grandmother's shed, things start to pick up. Suddenly, there's a mystery to be solved, one involving her dad's childhood on the island and Miss Marble, the witty centenarian who is the island's namesake. And when Harriet befriends a sharp-eyed ornithologist whom everyone calls Captain, she discovers that there's as much to learn about herself as there is about the island's history. A flawed but intriguing heroine from the start, Harriet's stubbornness, hot temper, and habit of lying will undoubtedly draw comparisons to the titular character in Beverly Cleary's Ramona series. Cranky, crotchety kids will find a kindred spirit in this young girl who longs to be understood and to understand the puzzling world of adults. Meanwhile, the mystery of the antique key yields a solution better than a secret garden. All major characters read as White. An engaging series opener about the power of truth to moor and free even the sulkiest of souls. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
