Father's Arcane Daughter [Turtleback]

E. L. Konigsburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

Kidnapped seventeen years before, a man's daughter by a former marriage appears at his new home in Pittsburgh and affects the entire family.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606191313
• ISBN-13: 978-0606191319
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,341,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

E. L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and be runner-up in the same year. In 1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View From Saturday. She has also written and illustrated three picture books: Samuel Todd's Book of Great Colors, Samuel Todd's Book of Great Inventions, and Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale's. In 2000 she wrote Silent to the Bone, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, among many other honors.

After completing her degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Konigsburg did graduate work in organic chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. For several years she taught science at a private girls' school. When the third of her three children started kindergarten, she began to write. She now lives on the beach in North Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, May 3, 2003

By 

gamer_girl - See all my reviews

This review is from: FATHER'S ARCANE DAUGHTER (Paperback)

Father's Arcane Daughter was one of my favorite books when I was little, and it still holds that spot now. The characters are realistic and interesting, the story moving and gripping, and the ending heart-warming and rewarding.
Winstong Carmichael is a seventh-grader with a priveleged upbringing and an impressive intelligence and maturity. Unfortunately, his undisciplined, overindulged, ten-year-old sister Heidi (short for Hilary) is a heavy weight on his shoulders. She requires constant entertainment from others, as she is not able to entertain herself, and has horrible manners and no consideration for others. Her hearing and coordination problems make her a bit dependant, but her behavior is what makes her a burden, one that Winston resents (he is actually unable to bring friends over because Heidi ruins the visits). Then,when he meets a woman claiming to be his long-lost half sister, Caroline, from his dad's previous marriage, Winston's life is turned around.
Caroline Carmichael was presumed dead years ago after a kidnapping, so many are suspicious of the new arrival's claims that she is Caroline, despite her physical resemblence to Caroline and extensive knowledge of Caroline's old friends and relatives. Is she really the person she claims to be, or is she trying to get her hands on the family fortune?
While the process of examination goes on, Winston gets to know a person who may or may not be his half sister, but is, without a doubt, a beacon of light in his life. The possible Caroline knows that Winston will be forever imprisoned by his sister's dependance if something is not done to help Heidi become as independant as she is able to be, so she starts down the road to teach Heidi proper, polite behavior, as well as teaching her how to best work with her hearing and coordination handicaps.
Through Winston's perspective, the reader will learn many hidden, sometimes ugly, truths about a seemingly normal rich family and about the woman who helps free the children from their gilded cage.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful and touching, March 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: FATHER'S ARCANE DAUGHTER (Paperback)

This was a truly wonderful book. The characters' actions conveyed their emotions accurately, and the story was suspenseful. I would recommend this to everyone looking for a good book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A POSITIVELY FANTASTIC BOOK!, April 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Father's Arcane Daughter (Paperback)

It was a very quick read, but I was hooked from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down for two days. I just had to know how it ended! E.L. Konigsburg used the perfect language and descriptions to catch every mood of every character, the whole book through! I give it a ten, and highly recommend it to any book lover!