The Big House [Hardcover]

Carolyn Coman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

When their parents are sent "up the river" for embezzlement, Ray and Ivy are left to live in the lap of luxury with Marietta Noland and her ancient husband, Lionel. But life at the big house is not all it is cracked up to be. First there is the shrouded portrait, then there is the spider in the decaying wedding cake. And what about the vicious instrument Marietta uses to decapitate her egg? When "the rain in Spain" begins to fall (in other words, Ray wets his bed), things go from bad to worse and Ivy knows it is time to take matters into her own hands. What follows is a hilarious lark as Ray and Ivy case the joint, get the skinny, and show Marietta she has met her match.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coman (What Jamie Saw) displays her versatility with this sly comedy about Ivy and Ray, two kids sentenced to live with an heiress whose testimony has just sent their parents to jail for embezzlement. The Big House of the title isn't a prison, but rather "La Grande Maison," the mansion owned by the scheming Marietta Noland, who "kidnaps" the siblings in a limo, and then "leave[s them] to their own devices." That is, until Ray has a series of "unfortunate accident[s]," and Marietta banishes him to a room conveniently located close to the laundry. But what Ivy calls "solitary confinement" doesn't improve Ray's bladder control, and a new plan—to send away the siblings to separate schools—puts the pair in a panic. Coman salts the narrative with mysteries—a bank robber grandfather with a felonious past, a shrouded portrait, a scroll hidden in a cake beneath a glass dome—that culminate in a comical mock-trial in which Ray acts as prosecutor and Ivy as judge. In this affectionate portrayal of familial relations, Ivy serves not only as Ray's protector, but also as best friend and willing playmate. Though the parents are clearly flawed (they'd both "been sent off to jail before, but never at the same time"), Ivy and Ray love them, warts and all. Readers rooting for a happy ending will not be disappointed. Ages 8-12.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 3-6–In a real departure from her previous novels, Coman has created an enjoyable romp of a mystery. The story opens with a guilty verdict against Dan and Carol Fitts, the admittedly crooked parents of resourceful Ivy and her younger brother, Ray. The children are placed in the care of Marietta Noland, the snooty person who accused their parents of embezzling her father's money. The children will be the first beneficiaries of Blackstone Mouton's Last Best Hope Charity. Intrepid Ivy, who comes from a long line of scam artists, decides she and Ray must do surveillance and get the lay of the Nolands' grand but unwelcoming home. All sorts of amusing plans develop between the siblings, including making a clothesline intercom with Marietta's charm bracelet "borrowed" by Ivy. They also find a document that turns out to be the will of Blackstone Mouton II, who, unbeknownst to them, was their great grandfather. A mock trial ensues, complete with judge (Ivy), prosecutor (Ray), defendants (the Nolands), and witness for the prosecution (Veddy the chauffeur). The children get their folks freed from jail and, in the ultimate comeuppance, Marietta is employed as their maid. It's all great fun with lots of matter-of-fact, potboiler detective slang spoken by the children. Shepperson's drawings make the story even more amusing. This farcical, pseudo-Victorian drama of crime and punishment is sure to be a crowd pleaser.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hand Print; 1 edition (October 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932425098
• ISBN-13: 978-1932425093
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original New Novel for Middle Readers, November 3, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big House (Hardcover)

Ray and Ivy are absolutely outraged when their two beloved parents (Dan and Carol) are sent "up the river" (to jail) for embezzlement. Sure, it sounds like fun for Ray and Ivy to get to live in the lap of luxury, but when you're living under Marietta Noland, and her decrepit, ancient husband, Lionel's rules, things take on a different light. Outward appearances make The Big House look like a wonderful place to live, but inside are strange things, like the strange, violent-looking tool Marietta uses to remove the shell from her egg every morning, or the shrouded portrait upstairs that bears a strong resemblance to Dan. And what about that small spider living within the frosting of the decaying wedding cake that Marietta has kept for all these years? Everything is just plain wacky, but things go from wacky to worse when Ray begins wetting the bed, and soon Ivy is coming up with a crazy, hair-brained scheme to get Marietta out of her life, and her parents out of jail.

With THE BIG HOUSE, Carolyn Coman has created an amazing children's novel, much in the same format as E.L. Konigsburg's classic FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER. Ivy is a determined, hard-headed, wise-cracking leader, while Ray is more of a follower. Together they start more trouble than anyone could ever imagine, while sticking together, and showing readers that the bond between a brother and sister can never be broken. Each page is filled with crazy ideas, hilarious commentary, and brilliant illustrations by Rob Shepperson, and is extremely hard to put down. Fans of contemporary fiction with a touch of mystery will enjoy THE BIG HOUSE, but will be saddened to see it come to an end.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2006-07 TX Bluebonnet Award Nominee, December 15, 2005

By 

Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Big House (Hardcover)

"With their parents in prison for embezzlement, Ivy and her younger brother, Ray, must live with the snobby heiress whose accusations sent them "up the river." Ivy and Ray discover secrets that prompt them to case the joint, get the skinny on what's really going on, and make plans to spring their parents." (summary by Texas Library Association)