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thecriticalreader'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: Death, Vomit, and Abandonment