Monday, November 5, 2007

Book Review: The View from the Cherry Tree

The View from the Cherry Tree
by Willo Davis Roberts, 181 pages, c1975

Mystery! Suspense! And none of that gooey romance stuff. Everything at eleven year old Rob's house these days is about his big sister's wedding -- it's getting so a kid can't go anywhere without stepping into trouble! So, Rob escapes to the cherry tree between his house and the spiteful Mrs. Calloway's. But when he witnesses a murder from his unique vantage point, who will believe it? The murderer will.

This one's a page turner -- perfect for reading with someone or alone, in the dark, late at night... The story is one of the most realistic, solid, convincing murder mysteries I've read (and I've read my share). The dialogue is especially believable. Mrs. Roberts really captures the voice of the kid, the sister, the policeman, the dad. It's hard not to believe that this story really happened, in your neighborhood. Grab this book, a blanket and some hot chocolate for a great experience. Just don't be upset if your drink gets cold because you can't be bothered to stop and sip it!

4 comments:

Ransom said...

Mmm, sounds tasty!

Hot chocolate, too...

Anonymous said...

I have to say my favorite part of this book is the name of the cat...it's just hilariously classic. Who names a cat like that anyway? Then again, you have to consider that I haven't read the book since sixth grade, so that could be my favorite detail about the book because I can't really remember any other details...

Anonymous said...

Wait...this is the one with the slightly vulgar kitty name, right?

Alysa Stewart said...

yeah, the cat's name is S.O.B. :)