The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow [Hardcover]

Kaye Umansky (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Readers will laugh out loud at this daft and clever account of a foundling who sets out in search of his destiny, only to encounter some woeful misadventures along the way.

In a wretched hovel at the top of a moor lives a boy named Solomon Snow. Each day he slaves for Ma and Pa Scubbins's laundry service, and each night he slurps down a bowl of vegetable slop, wishing only for the luxury of a spoon. Imagine poor Solly's surprise when he learns that he's actually a flounder - er, foundling - dumped ten years ago on the Scubbinses' doorstep in a (laundry) basket, with a silver spoon right in his mouth! The utensil was long ago pawned by Pa, but that doesn't stop Solly from setting out in search of his spoon, his real parents, and his rightful inheritance. Joining him on his quest are a pair of unlikely companions: a bossy, pointy-nosed writer named Prudence and the insufferable Infant Prodigy, a circus performer with some well-practiced tricks up her sleeve.

Will Solly finally locate his spoon, and have to wear velvet pantaloons? Prepare for a preposterous ending sure to surprise and delight the Intelligent Reader as much as it does our intrepid hero.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–A luckless foundling stars in this sometimes-amusing orphan tale. When 10-year-old Solly Snow learns that he was left on the doorstep as a baby, he immediately sets off to find his true parents. His only clue is the silver spoon that Pa Scubbins had recently pawned in town. Accompanied by a bookish neighbor girl and a pesky, but clever circus performer called the Infant Prodigy, the boy has several narrow escapes and surprises before his quest ends. These mildly involving adventures are related in a sardonic tone that fans of Lemony Snicket's books might enjoy. Highlights include several interludes that mockingly describe the still-grieving Perfect Parents who may (or may not) finally clear up the mystery of Solly's birth. The cloyingly sweet, but resourceful Prodigy is an especially fun character, as she blithely charms and annoys people along the way. Sly narration injects a sense of fun to many of the happenings. Solly himself isn't particularly funny, but his determination, lightened by nervousness and occasional moments of exasperation with his companions, makes him a likable protagonist. His Victorian-style world is filled with greedy adults on the lookout for orphans to exploit. The tale loses a bit of steam when the humor takes a backseat to plot advancement, but there are enough quirky characters and funny moments to sustain readers' interest through to the unexpected, but satisfying conclusion.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Umansky amusingly writes in the flap copy that after rereading Dickens, she thought, "I could do that." She soon learns, "I couldn't." That's all right, as this quest for story for middle-graders has enough Dickensian moments and clever characters to find a welcoming audience. Solly Snow, abandoned 10 years earlier at the home of a washer woman and her wastrel husband, learns his origins when "Pa" sells the silver spoon that arrived with Solly in a laundry basket. Furious, Solly takes off to find his real family. He's soon joined by Prudence, who is as sharp as her pointy nose, and annoying little Rosabel, always referred to by her circus sobriquet, the Prodigy, who knows how to bat her eyes and get her way. The short chapters, directed toward the "Intelligent Reader," are chock-full of twisty turns and high-stepping adventure. Only the ending, which finds Solly virtually back where he started, disappoints. Pair this with Philip Pullman's The Scarecrow and His Servant (2005), another adventure full of fun and flimflam. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First Edition edition (August 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763627925
• ISBN-13: 978-0763627928
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,103,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Fun, January 6, 2006

By 

selah38 (Union Bridge, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow (Hardcover)

Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow follows Solomon the son of poor washer people, Prudence, an aspiring writer, and the Prodigy Rosabella, good at getting whatever she wants, on a quest to find Solly's inheritance - a silver spoon. A spoon that was found literally in his mouth as a baby, when he was discovered on the doorstep of very poor people.

The fun is in the journey and the people they meet along the way. The characters are well developed and easy to visualize. I think this book would be well enjoyed when read aloud.

Those who love books such as Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick stories and the Series of Unfortunate Events, will enjoy this quick read.

I am looking forward to its sequel

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly 'tew-ific' tale!, July 22, 2007

By 

CookieBooky (www.CookieBooky.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow (Hardcover)

At the school book fair, CookieBooky kid tried to steer me away from this strange little unassuming book with the alliterative title. And CookieBooky kid is often right when it comes to picking out which books I'd like. But something kept drawing me back to Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon. Luckily, I didn't let her change my mind. I really enjoyed this book.

Solomon Snow has just learned that he was left on the washer woman's doorstep in a basket when he was just a baby. The only things that were with him was a little cloth blanket and silver spoon. He uses the cloth as a napkin now but several months ago his father pawned the spoon to buy Solomon a pair of boots.

Turns out that the boots were too small and the spoon is the only way Solomon can find out who his real parents are. So starts out his adventure. Along the way, he makes friends of Prudence (she is the author of this adventure in more ways than one), Rosabella the 'Pwodigy' (who has trouble with her 'R's' but not much else) and Freddy (who's just happy to be there). In their Dickensian world, the four friends face the many dangers of being a child alone in a mean, cold town. But the snow is the worst of their problems, they'll have to deal with the child farmer, the orphanage matron and a mean old chimney sweep before they're done.

The tale is told in a wonderful way. At first, I was worried that the story might be a little heavy on the 'clever'. But luckily, the author used the clever naming tool only sparingly (and it added to the story rather than detracting from it). In addition, Kaye Umansky has painted the dreary picture she set out to create. I enjoyed the smatterings of humor as well. Best of all, the characters are all lovable in their own way - even Prudence. And the plot has its twists and turns with an ending that I (happily) did not expect.

A wonderful read.

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved It, March 5, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow (Hardcover)

Personally, I thought it was a fabulous book. Solomon Snow is a woeful being with a sad existance. When he meets the stubborn Prudence Pridy, and discovers that he is a foundling, Solly sets off to find his long lost silver spoon. Solly encounters several situations that he would never dream of, prior to meeting Prudence. I think that thoug it is somewhat predictable, it was satisfying, and I can't wait for the sequel.