My eighth Nutmeg is in the books (pun intended!). Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald had so many great elements, mystery, art, history and unique family/friend relationships. This story reminded me a bit of The DaVinci Code for kids.
I will say a bit about each element. For starters, the mystery was enough to keep you guessing through the whole story. And I loved that the letter at the end solved it all. Every single thing would have been different if she found that letter first, including her friendship with Bodhi. I loved the contrast between Bodhi’s celebrity lifestyle and Theo’s frugal one. I also found myself intrigued by the mother’s character (although honestly, every character was appealing to me in some way). I hoped mom would solve her math theorem by the end of the book, but I guess her not solving it was part of the point!
The art described through the story gives the reader a great lesson in the Masters, and of course, a different viewpoint of WWII POWs. It makes me want to visit a museum to see the paintings being described. I think this book would be a great read aloud for a class with SO many enrichment options. My only question is whether a student would be as interested in the book as I was? I look forward to talking to those students of mine who read it.
My daughter mentioned enjoying Fitzgerald’s novel The Gallery. I will definitely add it to my “want to read” list!
Read, Review, Repeat 