christinemccue's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sc104906's review
4.0
I received this as an eARC through Edelweiss.
The Problims are one awesome wacky family. The seven Problim children were each born on a different day of the week and have been sung the nursery rhyme about the seven days since they were born. When there house in the swamp collapses, they are forced to move to their grandfather's house in town. Their nasty next door neighbor is looking for the mysterious Problim treasure and wants the kids out of the way. Will the Problim children be able to find their parents and the treasure in time to save their house and help their family?
I had a great time with this book. The characters were relatable. It was an adventurous and funny story.
The Problims are one awesome wacky family. The seven Problim children were each born on a different day of the week and have been sung the nursery rhyme about the seven days since they were born. When there house in the swamp collapses, they are forced to move to their grandfather's house in town. Their nasty next door neighbor is looking for the mysterious Problim treasure and wants the kids out of the way. Will the Problim children be able to find their parents and the treasure in time to save their house and help their family?
I had a great time with this book. The characters were relatable. It was an adventurous and funny story.
samanthampg's review
3.0
This book was cute! I loved how the Problim family were all so unique both within their own world and within our world! I loved the atmosphere of the story, the family bonds and the magical realism! I think this book a great for any middle grade readers looking for a mystery that isn’t scary but still interesting!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, I know there is a second book but I feel like the first book didn’t have a whole lot going on and maybe the two could be combined? But I haven’t read the second so who am I to say?
One thing is that I wish we had more points of view, I would have loved to read from Mona’s perspective. It would’ve been nice to see more of Sundae and Alex as well.
SPOILERS:
One thing that really plagued me the whole novel was that people kept referring to six problim children when their whole thing is that there are seven of them, each born on a different day of the week. Each time their enemy said there were six Problim children, Frida would say “seven”.
Im under the opinion that Frida may be a ghost but only the other children can see her? Or something along those lines. She’s known to be stealthy and she’s always the one that speaks out when it’s mentioned there are six Problims AND I can’t remember her interacting with the towns people (but I could be wrong) so that’s my theory.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, I know there is a second book but I feel like the first book didn’t have a whole lot going on and maybe the two could be combined? But I haven’t read the second so who am I to say?
One thing is that I wish we had more points of view, I would have loved to read from Mona’s perspective. It would’ve been nice to see more of Sundae and Alex as well.
SPOILERS:
One thing that really plagued me the whole novel was that people kept referring to six problim children when their whole thing is that there are seven of them, each born on a different day of the week. Each time their enemy said there were six Problim children, Frida would say “seven”.
Im under the opinion that Frida may be a ghost but only the other children can see her? Or something along those lines. She’s known to be stealthy and she’s always the one that speaks out when it’s mentioned there are six Problims AND I can’t remember her interacting with the towns people (but I could be wrong) so that’s my theory.
quillreads's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Why I Read It: I picked up The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd from my local library because it looked like the perfect quirky adventure middle-grade story I was looking for!
Blurb:
The seven Problim children (Mona, Toot, Wendell, Thea, Frida, Sal, and Sundae) are a quirky and talented bunch who live unsupervised in the middle of the woods while their parents go on archaeological quests. One day, their house falls down. Luckily, their grandfather left them a deed to a house in a nearby town. As the Problim children move into their new house in town, they soon face hostility from superstitious neighbors who have a longstanding distrust of the Problim family. In particular, their next-door neighbor (Desdemona O’pinion) has nefarious designs for the Problim children. She sees to it that if they cannot provide proof of their identity within twenty-one days, they will be removed from the house and separated from each other. The book follows the seven wacky children as they try to befriend the hostile townsfolk, find proof of their identity that will allow them to stay together and keep the house, and solve a mystery their grandfather left for them to solve.
Review:
The Problim Children is wacky and enchanting in the best way possible. The seven children are entertaining and endearing and it was fun to watch them interact with their (slightly) more “normal” neighbors. Lloyd introduces a lot of clever and whimsical worldbuilding elements that set the book apart. Moreover, the writing is clever and sprinkled with witticisms.
My main frustration with the book is that it does not resolve a lot of the plot points it introduces earlier on in the book, leaving things open-ended for the following sequels. Thus, the last third of the book, which is dedicated to a mystery/chase, seems rather pointless unless the reader plans to read the next book. It would have been nice to have a more closed ending so that the reader does not feel pressured to read the following books in order to gain closure.
The Run-Down:
You will probably like The Problim Children if:
· You love whimsical characters and settings
· You enjoy adventure and mysteries
You might not like The Problim Children if:
· You don’t like when books don’t resolve plotlines in order to get you to read the next book in the series
· You don’t want to read about a character who uses farts to communicate
· You like logical and consistent worldbuilding
A Similar Book:
The Problim Children shares a lot of things in common with The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, although it has a lighter tone. Similarities between these books include:
· A group of quirky, gifted, and independent children
· A mysterious house filled with secret passageways, clues, and riddles
· Fantastical elements
· An adult villain whose greed turns them into the enemy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Abandonment, Vomit, and Death
lazygal's review
4.0
Really cute use of the "Monday's child" poem! Each child was different enough, albeit in a rather stereotypical manner (Mona was particularly one-dimensional), not that target readers will mind. The mysteries of the bones, the Great Feud, who exactly is living next door, what caused the explosion and what happened to Grandfather Problim (among others) are all left just out of our reach, while others are resolved in the book. However, the abruptness of the ending? A little too "Series of Unfortunate Events"-esque. Perfect for those readers, ditto "Mysterious Benedict Society" lovers.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
readingthroughtheages's review
5.0
You know 2018 is going to be a great reading year when you have a new Natalie Lloyd book to look forward to!
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
FART ALERT!
As a parent, ever have one of those days when you feel like you turned your head for one second, and the kids exploded the house?
Yeah, well, the Problim children actually do explode the house, while their parents are away on a mission. No farting involved in the explosion, but wait, it's coming...
With nowhere to live, the children venture out of the noxious swamp and into town to find their grandfather's falling-down, nearly-forgotten mansion.
But once they arrive, will the townsfolk ever accept their weird ways -- like the telekinetic fog, the wrangling ivy security system, the human catapult and stinktastic farts (named, explained and classified in the footnotes!)? Or will they turn the kids out of the house for lack of documentation? And will their neighbor, the evil Desdemona, finally get her hands on it and its secrets, at long last?
Oh, the jokes this one generated...not to mention the gas.
Can't wait to read the sequel!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
As a parent, ever have one of those days when you feel like you turned your head for one second, and the kids exploded the house?
Yeah, well, the Problim children actually do explode the house, while their parents are away on a mission. No farting involved in the explosion, but wait, it's coming...
With nowhere to live, the children venture out of the noxious swamp and into town to find their grandfather's falling-down, nearly-forgotten mansion.
But once they arrive, will the townsfolk ever accept their weird ways -- like the telekinetic fog, the wrangling ivy security system, the human catapult and stinktastic farts (named, explained and classified in the footnotes!)? Or will they turn the kids out of the house for lack of documentation? And will their neighbor, the evil Desdemona, finally get her hands on it and its secrets, at long last?
Oh, the jokes this one generated...not to mention the gas.
Can't wait to read the sequel!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
srl5041's review
4.0
A Lloyd story with a sequel?! Yes please! Love Natalie Lloyd’s magical and lyrical way of writing!