(4) 4-6 Mary, a Nantucket ghost, and a group of local children struggle to save the island's centuries-old homes--and the spirits who inhabit them--from demolition. The novel is slow to pick up steam and narrative shifts can be jarring. That said, Balliett masterfully builds a sense of place with lyrical details ("Rafters and corner posts shiver in their sudden nudity"), and a surprise ending is satisfying.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Petra, Calder, Tommy, Zoomy, and Early--all of Balliett's protagonists from her previous books--team up to track down thirteen pieces of art stolen during a museum heist (think Isabella Stewart Gardner robbery). Ghosts, prime numbers (especially thirteen), and Mother Goose rhymes make multiple appearances as the thirteen-year-old sleuths (with the help of some handy coincidences) solve another twisty-turny art mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 When her library worker father doesn't come home from work one day, Early and her mother and baby brother are left to the Chicago shelter system--and to solve the mystery of dad's disappearance. It's an adequate mystery, but too-frequent verbal flourishes and platitudes ("Early learned from her dad that a dictionary is a powerful and underestimated kind of book") are distracting.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Zoomy's alcoholic father shows up and leaves behind a mysterious box. The contents lead Zoomy to solve an exciting puzzle and make a valuable discovery. Though the nonlinear narrative can be difficult to follow, readers may enjoy playing along with Zoomy while they gather clues from the revealing newsletters interspersed within the main text.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Calder Pillay (Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3) discovers that the English village where he's staying has been graced by the mysterious appearance of an Alexander Calder statue. Complications ensue when the Calders (both boy and statue) disappear, and Tommy, Petra, and Mrs. Sharpe fly over to help. As usual, Balliett relies on contrivance but writes wonderfully about art and creativity.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Sixth-grade classmates Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are drawn into a mysterious claim that some of the works attributed to Johannes Vermeer were not, in fact, painted by that seventeenth-century Dutch artist. The protagonists are smart and appealing, the prose style is agreeably quirky, and fans of puzzle-mysteries will enjoy cracking the codes presented within the text and hidden in the illustrations.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004