Review Detail

I always love a Blue Balliett story and Pieces and Players does not disappoint. Calder, Petra, and Tommy are once again needed to solve an art mystery but this time they have the help of Zoomy and Early.

Reading Pieces and Players is like meeting up with old friends. Getting a chance to catch up with Early, from Hold Fast, and Zoomy from The Danger Box was an exciting ride. Balliett ‘s group of heroes is flawless. Mrs. Sharpe has brought this team together to help find the missing pieces of art.

The gang’s search is full of puzzles, Mother Good rhymes, mathematical riddles and even ghosts. Meanwhile, each character has their own doubts to deal with- too many adults are acting strangely and seem to playing their own game- can they really solve this mystery? Can they trust each other? Throughout their journey to solve the mystery they end up on a journey to discover themselves. It is only by putting the pieces together can the gang find out who the real players in this mystery are.

Readers who love puzzles woven together with art, history, math and literary clues will surely love this book.