The Big House

September 6, 2004
Coman (What Jamie Saw
) displays her versatility with this sly comedy about Ivy and Ray, two kids sentenced to live with an heiress whose testimony has just sent their parents to jail for embezzlement. The Big House of the title isn't a prison, but rather "La Grande Maison," the mansion owned by the scheming Marietta Noland, who "kidnaps" the siblings in a limo, and then "leave to their own devices." That is, until Ray has a series of "unfortunate accident
," and Marietta banishes him to a room conveniently located close to the laundry. But what Ivy calls "solitary confinement" doesn't improve Ray's bladder control, and a new plan—to send away the siblings to separate schools—puts the pair in a panic. Coman salts the narrative with mysteries—a bank robber grandfather with a felonious past, a shrouded portrait, a scroll hidden in a cake beneath a glass dome—that culminate in a comical mock-trial in which Ray acts as prosecutor and Ivy as judge. In this affectionate portrayal of familial relations, Ivy serves not only as Ray's protector, but also as best friend and willing playmate. Though the parents are clearly flawed (they'd both "been sent off to jail before, but never at the same time"), Ivy and Ray love them, warts and all. Readers rooting for a happy ending will not be disappointed. Ages 8-12.

Starred review from November 1, 2004
Gr 3-6-In a real departure from her previous novels, Coman has created an enjoyable romp of a mystery. The story opens with a guilty verdict against Dan and Carol Fitts, the admittedly crooked parents of resourceful Ivy and her younger brother, Ray. The children are placed in the care of Marietta Noland, the snooty person who accused their parents of embezzling her father's money. The children will be the first beneficiaries of Blackstone Mouton's Last Best Hope Charity. Intrepid Ivy, who comes from a long line of scam artists, decides she and Ray must do surveillance and get the lay of the Nolands' grand but unwelcoming home. All sorts of amusing plans develop between the siblings, including making a clothesline intercom with Marietta's charm bracelet "borrowed" by Ivy. They also find a document that turns out to be the will of Blackstone Mouton II, who, unbeknownst to them, was their great grandfather. A mock trial ensues, complete with judge (Ivy), prosecutor (Ray), defendants (the Nolands), and witness for the prosecution (Veddy the chauffeur). The children get their folks freed from jail and, in the ultimate comeuppance, Marietta is employed as their maid. It's all great fun with lots of matter-of-fact, potboiler detective slang spoken by the children. Shepperson's drawings make the story even more amusing. This farcical, pseudo-Victorian drama of crime and punishment is sure to be a crowd pleaser.-B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2004
Gr. 4-6. Our story begins as Ivy and her younger brother, Ray, watch their parents head off to jail for embezzling from old Marietta Noland. To the children's horror, the judge awards their custody to Marietta. When Mom and Dad are off to the Big House, so are the children--to a mansion where they have a wing of their own and the freedom to roam, and where Marietta exerts control with her clawlike hands, especially after Ray begins to wet his bed (euphemistically called "the rain in Spain"). Ivy decides to bring Marietta to trial, and the kids go about finding the secrets she is clearly trying to hide. Dickens and Damon Runyon meet " Annie" in a story that has a fresh voice, if not always logically connected events. Many incidents, amusingly engaging on their own, don't add up to much, and some readers will be put off by the kids' adoration of parents who are clearly crooks. The parts are greater than the whole, but there's fun to be had, too, made even more satisfying by the great and numerous illustrations.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)