Monday, May 31, 2021

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday #MMGM: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson


When twelve-year-old Candice moves with her mother to Lambert, South Carolina for the summer she doesn’t know what the summer will bring. Her parents have been divorced for half a year, and now she’s spending the summer in a house her grandmother used to own. Her grandmother passed away a couple years ago and hadn’t really ever lived in the house, but she still had history in Lambert. Candice didn’t know anything about what happened to her grandmother in Lambert, but her mother fills her in on the trouble that went down when her grandma tried to find a buried treasure she was sure was underneath a tennis court. When nothing was found, her grandma left town, but people weren’t happy with the money that had been used to find a treasure that didn’t exist. Looking for a box of books Candice explores the attic and finds a letter addressed to her grandmother. She isn’t sure she should open it, but curiosity gets the better of her. What she reads in the letter makes her even more curious about the scandal her grandmother had been involved in. Could there be a buried treasure somewhere in Lambert? Candice thinks there's a chance! She fills in Brandon, the boy from across the street, and they start to do some detective work. One clue leads to the next, and the two new friends are hoping they'll discover something exciting that has been overlooked for all these years. Does a treasure exist? Is it possible for Brandon and Candice to follow clues to find the treasure or are they going on a wild goose chase? You'll have to read this mystery to find out what they learn in the end!

The Parker Inheritance is the first book I have read by Varian Johnson. What a treat! Right from Candice finding the letter in the attic I was hooked. Was there a treasure? I wanted to know. It was so much fun tagging along with Candice and Brandon as they pieced together the clues and dug into the history of the town. I love how history and mystery were woven together in a way that makes you want to dig into your own history to see what you'll discover. I loved that the main characters both had a passion for reading and talked books with each other, like I do with my best friend. I could also relate to Candice and her adjustment to her parent’s divorce. I would recommend this book to anyone in 4th grade or up who likes to solve mysteries and is up for an adventure. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Has anyone else read The Parker Inheritance? Or have you read another book by Varian Johnson? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.


28 comments:

  1. Great review. I really enjoyed reading this book, too.

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    1. Randomly Reading- Glad to hear you enjoyed this one too! :) ~L

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  2. This sounds excellent - and both the book and the author are new to me. Thank you.

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    1. EC- Happy to introduce you to both. :) ~L

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  3. This sounds like fun! Thanks for sharing! Hugs, Valerie

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  4. I enjoyed this book and also The Great Greene Heist. His next one is also in my pile of ARCs—Playing the Cards You're Dealt. Thanks for posting your featured review on MMGM.

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    1. Greg- I will have to check out both of those! Thanks for giving me the titles and for posting all the MMGM links for everyone! :)

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  5. I don't know the author.
    Many thanks for the review.

    All the best Jan

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  6. This sounds like a great story! I'm definitely intrigued about whether or not the treasure actually exists. I actually have a graphic novel written by this author and illustrated by Shannon Wright, called Twins, which I'm looking forward to reading! Thanks so much for the great review!

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    1. Completely Full Bookshelf- How cool you have a graphic novel by this author. I hope it as good as this book! :) ~L

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  7. I haven't read it but this sounds great.

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  8. I haven't read this one, but I read and loved The Great Greene Heist, and I'm definitely interested in reading more books by Varian Johnson. This one sounds great!

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    1. Michelle- I hadn't heard of The Great Greene Heist until you and Greg mentioned it. I definitely need to read it. Thanks! :) ~L

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  9. Wow. This sounds like so much fun. I just put it on my TBR list at the top with stars. This sounds like a great mystery. Thanks for your wonderful review.

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    1. Rosi- I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :) ~L

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  10. Sounds like a beautiful read full of characters I'd doubtlessly like.

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  11. I have read this one. In fact, it was one I recommended on the Middle Grade Mojo Blog. Such a fun story!

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    1. Sherry- Glad to hear you read and enjoyed this one too! :) ~L

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  12. Sounds like a very fun read! Thanks for sharing the review! Big Hugs!

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    1. Magic Love Crow- It really is fun. Hugs back! :) ~L

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  13. Thanks for the review, sounds fun read.

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  14. This sounds like so much fun. I just added to my list.

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