Review of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Authors

Erin E. Kloosterman, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Arthur A. Levine Books

City

New York, New York, United States of America

Date of Publication

2018

ISBN

9780545946179

Date of Review

2019

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

young adult literature, reviews

Review

Candice loves solving mysteries and puzzles, mostly because she worked puzzles with her grandmother before her grandmother died. When she’s forced to spend the summer with her mother in her grandmother’s old house, Candice is bored and upset until she finds a letter with a mystery and several clues. Candice’s grandma left a handwritten note on the outside urging someone to solve the puzzle, and Candice wonders if the message is meant for her. So, Candice begins to unravel the clues using the help of a boy down the street named Brandon. Brandon and Candice work all summer, delving deep into the prejudiced history of their town. They learn more about the past, and they also learn more about themselves and their families as they work through the summer. The narrative shifts from the present to the past, but the reader is easy able to keep track of the story, even though the story shifts to follow different narrators. The pages of the book are a darker color during the past sections, and this helps the reader realize that they are reading about a different time period. The subject of prejudice and racism is carefully introduced with an appropriate amount of details provided for the intended audience. This book could help parents and librarians open up conversations about these important topics. Recommended. Erin Kloosterman, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Kloosterman, Erin E., "Review of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson" (2019). Library Intern Book Reviews. 236.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/236

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