MMGM: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson
ABOUT THE BOOK
The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's waiting for Candice Miller.
When Candice finds the letter, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, after all, who left Lambert in a cloud of shame. But the letter describes a young woman named Siobhan Washington. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. Grandma tried and failed. But now Candice has another chance.
So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues in the letter. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the summer ends?
REVIEW
I've always loved puzzle stories such as The Westing Game so I was intrigued when I heard about this one. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. The connection to The Westing Game didn't hurt any. I found the way the author entwined the stories of the past and the present along with the puzzle elements to work really well. Candace makes for a sympathetic character as she struggles with her parent's divorce and having to move away from her friends. She resents it a bit when her mother pushes her into befriending the boy across the street. Until she discovers that she and Brandon both love reading. And after she discovers the letter her grandmother left for her, she needs help trying to solve the puzzle since she knows her mother won't approve of her efforts. As Brandon and Candace work to solve the mystery surrounding her grandmother's digging up the local tennis courts and the possibility of a fortune just waiting to be found, they also have to deal with family and bullying issues. Flashbacks scattered throughout the book take the reader back to the events that lead to the creation of the letter and the treasure hunt giving the reader additional insight into the circumstances that lead to Candace's and Brandon's involvement. Johnson manages to combine themes of acceptance and sexual orientation and racial identity with the fun puzzle elements into a book with depth and character.
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