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glitterjen said: It took me a few years to get around to reading this book, in spite of the ever alluring draw of Helquist's illustrations~ being a huge Lemony Snicket fan, I bought "Vermeer" as soon as it came out, solely because I assumed any book Helquist would choose to illustrate must surely be as magical and eccentric as LSnicket. However, I admit I was put off by the whole 'pentominoes' aspect of Balliett's book- I am a poor mathematician, and it is a little insulting, as an adult reader, to have to struggle with this element of a children's book! Having said that, I made it through the entire book and have reserved the other 2 by Balliett at the library~ it did intrigue me and kudos to the author for writing a 'thinking child's novel'.
While I found the characterizations lively, I also had an issue with 'coincidence' as a plot device- at the end it did not hold up for me. I wondered how all of the free flowing speculation in the plot worked for actual kid-readers and went on the 'Zoom' site to read reviews from the intended readership: it was amusingly all over the place, from little math brains who LOOOOOOVED! it, to many kids who grouchily found it 'boring and confusing'.
tags: I Read |
