Pish Posh (review)
2006; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 59; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2006.0488
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: Pish Posh Karen Coats Potter, Ellen Pish Posh. Philomel, 2006166p ISBN 0-399-23995-2$15.99 R Gr. 4-7 Readers who have been charmed by Olivia Kidney and her adventures (Olivia Kidney, BCCB 6/03, Olivia Kidney and the Exit Academy, BCCB 9/05) have come to expect a specific kind of stylish panache mixed with poignant longing in Potter's magical New York settings and cosmopolitan characters, and she doesn't disappoint in this latest offering. Clara Frankofile, the daughter of the owners of the fabulously hip restaurant called Pish Posh, holds a nightly court of good taste in her parents' establishment, sussing out the Somebodies who, through some turn of fortune, have become Nobodies and are no longer welcome. The night she outs Dr. Piff as a Nobody, her world changes in more ways than one, as he intimates that, for all her observative prowess, she is overlooking a great mystery under her very nose. Also that night she meets Annabelle, a child jewel thief whom she helps escape from the police by allowing her to climb from the roof of her building into her Tree Climbing Room (one of several rooms that her parents have had designed so that she might have an optimal childhood). Making good use of Annabelle's particular talents, Clara solves and resolves Dr. Piff's mystery, which involves a soup cook who hasn't aged since 1812; Potter's deft manipulation of the entanglements and epiphanies as it unfolds is by turns funny, moving, and ingenious. No odd little detail (and we are talking seriously odd here) is ever dropped, and each one's significance emerges with a little pop of recognition that rewards careful readerly attention. Clara's dogged determination to get to the heart of the mystery accidentally leads her to some distressing but ultimately salutary self-knowledge, imbuing this quirky wonder tale with just the right touch of emotional depth to hold readers in thrall, and the sleek settings will inspire a delirium of architectural dreams. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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