Ended up skimming this to the end because it was a library book that my sister had to return. She was lukewarm about it when she handed it to me, but I was hopeful to prove her wrong. However, this book for children just does not deliver.

Jane Langton writes about places she knows. This series is set in Concord Massachusetts and includes historical facts about local figures like Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott and local places like Walden Pond and houses that still grace the center of town. I have read and liked parts of her Homer Kelly series (for adults) set in the same place.

This one was just a bit too far fetched and drwan out. I could see that she was trying to set up a mystery and teach some history but I could not get into it. My sister and I were both reading it with an eye to whether we would read it with the kids. Neither of us could recommend.