Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot

Seven-year-old Violet Mackerel has one firm belief, which she calls the Theory of Finding Small Things: when you have a really great idea, you will find something small and special on the ground as confirmation. One day, when she is admiring a particular blue china bird at the outdoor market where her mother sells her knitting, she spies a red button. That settles it: the bird is not just a wish but an important idea. It’s an idea, however, that costs ten dollars, which is ten more than Violet has at the moment. Violet wants to raise money like her older siblings do when they need something, but she knows that in order to obtain the beautiful blue bird, she needs a "brilliant plot." Her plan for digging up something of archaeological significance ends with nothing more than a torn-up backyard. Her next plan (to sell one of her own creations at the market) backfires in the best possible way when she decides to give the item away to someone who needs it -- and sets off a chain of events that eventually leads to her heart’s desire. Violet is a true original: a complicated heroine for new readers who is neither stereotypically spunky nor silly. She needs her mother’s gentle guidance but is able to solve little problems all by herself. Will there be a sequel? Let’s hope so. (Final illustrations not seen.) robin l. smith