I have to say, I'm impressed. Not many children's/young adult book authors would choose something like Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and create a story around a particular building. It's a very smart read, and one that gets the audience thinking. I really did enjoy this one, and would put it in a school library or hand it to a child who has an interest in mystery. Definitely for a higher-level reader, and for someone who's inquisitive and likes imagining their world complexly. Or, perhaps, for a good reader who needs some world-expanding. With all that being said, it was difficult for me to really stretch this into 4 stars. In the end, I was more pleased with the subject matter than my criticisms, but they're still very much nagging me.(view spoiler)[Personally, I get hung up on the coincidence theme that runs through both Chasing Vermeer and this one; it's very heavy-handed at this point, and I'm hoping that, should there be a third book, Balliett decides to go a different way about things. Yes, are all these events coincidences, or are the children attuned to the patterns of the world around them? It's fun, and makes me want to look at my life more closely (which I suppose makes it successful), but again, I'm hoping in the future she tries something else to set up intrigue. Also the way in which these pieces line up was a bit eye-rolling sometimes. Petra looking within herself and hearing the voice of the house, for instance. Is this really happening or are we just being swept along by the excitement of saving the house? Does Petra have an ability to communicate with art? Or are her thoughts coincidences? Calder's mother would be having none of this, yet we have this story that very much points to the presence of something fantastical going on. I'm not sure why this annoys me so much; I'm usually very good at suspending my disbelief, but somehow it irks me here.What also gets me is the freedom Petra and Calder have, and the way no adults worry about their walking about. My mom would never have let me walk to the corner store by myself, or stay home alone for so long. There are just too many moments where I go wow, their community is either very safe or these adults really don't care. And, as another reviewer has pointed out, it just feels like these 6th grade kids are maybe too empowered? That sounds awful when I say it, but at times it's like they have too much freedom.Ms. Hussey is a wonderful character, but I can't help but feel that she's been using her class for her own art world goals. What better way to save a precious Wright house than get a bunch of innocent children vying for its salvation? She's extremely inquisitive and inspiring, but there's that undertow, that feeling of ulterior motive about it all. The house is saved, though, so again, maybe the ends justify the means.I'm disappointed that we never really understand the invisible man, and never get an answer to the strange movement of the roof. Were these things real? I get caught up in these details, especially when the book relies so much on real places and actual history. Pulling together the odd happenings and these facts create a bit of tension in my mind. Maybe that's it: I don't know if I'm supposed to interpret these almost magical occurrences as fact, or- that word again- coincidence. Which one, Balliett? Is that the game we're playing? Did these things happen or didn't they? Who's responsible for the books? Who was the person on the train? Why does Petra's notebook align with Mrs. Sharpe's notebook? Where was that going? Ugh, too many questions. I'm also a bit disappointed that yet again we get an ending where everything is wrapped up in a way the reader can't quite anticipate; these two brothers plotting to profit off the house, where could we have known? It seems very… convenient, to have these characters suddenly revealed and neatly explained. But it's a mystery for kids, so really, should I complain?I know after all that grousing it seems like I didn't enjoy this at all. I did! But there are a lot of elements that didn't quite match up, and while this book is very smart and definitely entertaining, I'm still feeling oddly annoyed. (hide spoiler)]
READING RESPONSELeah Levine 710In the book, the Wright 3, by Blue Balliett, Calder, Tommy, and Petra, are 6th graders trying to solve the mystery of the Robie house, but all have their own seperate problems along with the mystery. All three are learning different lessons at different times in the book, but still are themselves and have their own wants. For example, Calder wants Tommy and Petra to get along, Tommy still wants a “family”, and Petra still wants people to stop stereotyping girls. At the beginning of the book, Tommy and Petra aren’t getting along and are both good friends with Calder. “Right, Calder fumed. How could he have thought Tommy and Petra would get along?” (50) Calder is feeling like a go-between and is extremely agitated with both of them because they despise each other, and aren’t cooperating together. This is a major problem for Calder because both Petra and Tommy are very important people to him, and he doesn’t want to give up either of them, which seems like the only option. Calder’s parents are never mentioned in the book, which makes me think that this might enlarge the importance of Calder always having a dependable friend, whom he doesn’t want to give up. (Such as Petra or Tommy.) Calder almost immediately becomes friends with Petra after Tommy moves away, in the first book in the series. Calder learns that what happens, happens, but also to follow your instincts.Throughout the book, Tommy wishes that his own definition of a family would come true: adding a father, and a house that his family owns and doesn’t have to move from. He says, “You don’t know what it’s like to never have a house, to only have a mom and a goldfish for a family, and to lose two dads.” (225) Some people would count a mother and a goldfish as family, but since Tommy was tortured with the chance to have a second father (his mother re-marrying), which didn’t let him get used to not having a dad, the fatherly role in the house seems even more vital to Tommy. I don’t think having a house would matter as much to Tommy if he had a father. I think a house symbolizes security and certainty, two things that Tommy lacks without a father. A house is one of the many things Tommy tries to use to replace his dad, along with a goldfish, money, and his fish collection. Tommy and his mother lean on each other often in the book, and since Tommy’s situation at home is the main problem in the book, his family is mentioned more often than Calder’s or even Petra’s. Tommy learns to appreciate what he has, but not to give up on what he wants. A problem for Petra that is mentioned throughout the book is the stereotyping of girls. At the beginning of the book, Tommy says that girls don’t like croissants, and at the end of the book, a criminal assumes Petra is about to cry because she is a girl. The author writes, “If there was one thing Petra hated, it was being criticized for being a girl.” (283) I thought that her hatred of this was maintained because she grew up with many brothers, and has hung out with boys her whole life, therefore always being compared to them. It also symbolizes her desire to be unique and heard, compared to everyone else, also initiated by her growing up with so many siblings. During the book, writing things down is always Petra’s fallback, which also symbolizes her growing up in a crowded household and feeling the need to stay organized by writing things down. Petra learns that some things never change, but you should try hard to change what you can.All in all, the three main characters in the book basically all learn the same lesson: to try, and to work hard at what they want. Even from their different parts and roles, all three work hard to solve the mystery, and main problem in the book.
What do You think about The Wright 3 (2006)?
This book had me reading it nonstop! It was hard to try and stay up at night, when my eyes were very tired and hurting, but I just could not put this book down. It was lovely, especially for a 17 year old like myself that enjoys kids chapter books. Starting in the scene of a classroom, a teacher that is unique and a little odd, begins telling the students a story that she read in the newspaper that morning. The students want to now start an adventure with her! But sadly the school year is ending soon, but 3 brave middle school students still carry on their adventure. They love the sound of a mystery! This book includes a ton of facts about the one and only Frank Lloyd Wright. The author did an amazing job telling a story about him that included, not only facts, but facts with a story behind it! The illustrations are genius and do have hidden images, as the authors note in the beginning of the book explains. It sure was fun finding the hidden images in each picture! Who couldn't love this book? 5 stars, most definitely.
—Phoebe Cook
While Blue Balliett is a wonderful writer who is great at story telling from a kid's perspective, I was a bit disappointed with the way she ended "The Wright 3."[return]"The Wright 3" is a puzzle mystery that involves three sixth graders, Tommy, Calder and Petra, whose teacher encourages them to get involved with saving Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House from imminent destruction. When they begin discovering coincidences and mysteries surrounding the house, they become determined not only to save the house, but solve the mystery using many clues, some of which were left by the architect himself.[return]Although the story is well written, pulling you along through the twists and turn and encouraging you to solve the mystery along with the three kids, the ending was abrupt, disjointed and Balliett seemed almost eager to end the story. Rather than the mystery being solved by the kids, it was, in a way, solved by the bungling criminals. In some ways the ending reminded me of the old Scooby-Doo cartoons and I was just waiting for that famous line- "We would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids." While I would recommend the book as a fun read, I would warn- be prepared for a somewhat disappointing ending.
—Drew
This is a fun little book that falls somewhere between Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown. It is very much written for school discussion, with some homework problems built in. It also naturally leads to some lessons on Frank Lloyd Wright and The Invisible Man. It's not necessarily a book to read for fun, because the secret codes and references to FLW and The Invisible Man are wasted unless you are already familiar with them. The main characters, Calder, Petra, and Tommy, would be over their heads in the real world, but in happy world of pre-teen fiction, they can put themselves in mortal danger, commit minor crimes, and avoid involving adults in their capers until the last minute. It is not believable to an adult, but what kid hasn't dreamed of finding a treasure or solving a mystery that adults have missed or given up on? These stories need to discussed, either in a classroom, a reading group, or as a family. As light reading, this story fails, but as an art, history, math and literature lesson, it shines.
—Kevin Lanahan
