Thursday, January 18, 2018

Review of The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd

The Problim Children
By Natalie Lloyd
Published by Katherine Tegen Books
January 30, 2018
ARC Obtained at NCTE 2017

Goodreads Summary:
When the Problim children’s ramshackle bungalow in the Swampy Woods goes kaboom, the seven siblings and their pet pig have no choice but to move into their Grandpa’s abandoned old mansion in Lost Cove. No problem! For the Problim children, every problem is a gift.

Wendell and Thea—twins born two minutes apart on a Wednesday and a Thursday—see the move as a chance to make new friends in time for their birthday cake smash. But the neighbors find the Problims’ return problematic—what with Sal’s foggy garden full of Wrangling Ivy, toddler Toot’s 365 stanktastic fart varieties, and Mona’s human catapult.

Truth be told, rumors are flying about the Problims! Rumors of a bitter feud, a treasure, and a certain kind of magic lingering in the halls of #7 Main Street. And the neighbors will do anything to get their hands on those secrets—including sending the Problim children to seven different homes on seven different continents!

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this fantasy story by Natalie Lloyd! I am currently 2 for 2 with Natalie Lloyd books, as I also really enjoyed Snicker of Magic which came out in 2015 (I still have to read The Key to Extraordinary which came out last year).  It took a few chapters before I was able to keep all seven Problim children straight, but there is a handy list of who is who at the beginning of the book that I used until I had them all figured out. Otherwise, I enjoyed the blend of fantasy, adventure, hijinks and humor in this story. I enjoyed following the seven Problim children as they tried to get in touch with their traveling archaeologist parents, fight off their evil neighbor Desdemona O'pinion, and figure out the riddle that their grandfather left them which they, and Desdemona, believe will lead to some type of treasure.
The only "warning" I will give is that it appears that this book is going to be the first in a series. It is possible that a quiet, "nooooooooo!" escaped my lips when I finished the book and realized that I was going to have to wait quite a while before joining back with the Problim clan to continue their adventures.
I would recommend this book for grades 4 and up!

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