“Calder and Petra are in the same sixth grade class at the University of Chicago Lab School. Their unorthodox teacher, Ms. Hussey, has no set curriculum but allows them to explore ideas. Though both children are shy, common interests, including the book, Lo!, by Charles Fort, that Petra finds in the bookstore where Calder works, begin to bring them together. Their fascination with coincidence, one of Fort’s topics, stands them in good stead when the Vermeer painting of which Petra has dreamed is stolen. Pentominoes, one of Calder’s obsessions, give them one-letter clues, and odd coincidences and hunches fill in, as they try to discover who stole the painting and where it is hidden. The book’s weakness, a rather abrupt ending in which a marginal character is revealed as the culprit, is noted only by Horn Book among the many rave and starred reviews the book has received. The book also won the 2004 Chicago Tribune Prize for Young Adult Fiction.
SW
I was not particularly enthralled with this book until I engaged in a book discussion with 3rd-5th graders. They absolutely loved it. Each student mentioned the clues scattered through the pictures and the use of pentominoes as big attractions. I must say I came to find solving pentominoes puzzles great fun. There are very few books that require interaction such as this and that alone makes it especially valuable.”
