The Parker Inheritance

This book has a wonderful combination of puzzles and history. We get a real look at the history of segregation. It doesn't soften it, but it isn't gory either. We also get a great story of friendship and kids solving puzzles. I liked the flashback chapters. We get to see a variety of people deciding how to live with segregation and its consequences. I also really liked the friendship between Candace and Brandon. This is a book that both entertains and educates.

I just finished reading “The Parker Inheritance” by Varian Johnson. Written for Middle Grade (5th, 6th, 7th grades.) It was touted as a modern “The Westing Game” type mystery. I wouldn't go that far, but it is definitely similar. Follows Candice who is staying with her mother in her grandmother's old house for the summer while their house is being renovated and put on the market to sell.

She makes friends with the boy, Brandon, across the street who is as big of a reader as she is. She discovers her grandmother was fired from her job as city manager for tearing up the tennis courts while on a hunt for clues to the Parker Inheritance. Candice finds the original letter and she and Brandon pick up the chase.

This book take place in a small, Southern town in South Carolina and talks in depth about racism, what being Black in the South during the 50s was like and what being Black in the South is like now along with bullying and LGBTQ topics. It sounds like a lot, but all these issues are very relevant right now and definitely showed me a different perspective.

I will say the LGBTQ story line seemed a little excessive to the plot in a book already doing a lot of heavy hitting. Just felt like it wasn't given as much story time as it needed to really be effective. That being said, the book is over 350 pages long and since it was directed towards middle grade ages, could use a little pairing down so more kids would pick it up.

I would give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5, I do recommend it to read for the POV alone, just wish the mystery part was a little more well done as the characters seem to just know what happened in the flashbacks rather than them finding out through their investigations.

I loved everything about this: smart kids who love to read, adults who are just doing their best, and an intriguing mystery! I picked this up because I've been meaning to read it forever and the book I was reading just wasn't grabbing my attention. But I sped right through this! A great choice for anyone trying to make new friends or any budding detectives.