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"Solomon Snow and the Stolen Jewel" by Kaye Umansky

Author:

Kaye Umansky

Publisher:

Candlewick Press, 2006

Reviewed by:

Kristine Wildner, Holy Apostles School, New Berlin, WI

In this sequel to Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon, Solly finds himself penniless once again and working in his adoptive parent’s laundry business. With only a donkey and wash cart, he meets up with his old friend Prudence. She is on a mission to rescue her father who is scheduled to be deported to an off-shore prison for poaching. Their old friend Rosabella, the “Infant Prodigy,” joins them on their exciting adventure. Little does the trio know, their fortunes are soon to be mixed up in the evil Dr. Calamari’s plot to steal the famous “Firestone Ruby of Toj.” With a host of colorful characters including a dwarf and a rabbit, Kaye Umansky has created a fast-paced tale of adventure and mystery.

The characters are comical, with exaggerated personal characteristics. Yet Solly, Prudence and Rosabella’s personalities complement one another moving their adventure forward in unexpected ways. The author weaves all the characters and subplots together at the end, the reader will want to know what happened to the jewel and how the characters will get themselves out of their seemingly impossible situation.

Targeted at mid-elementary readers, the book has no illustrations. Various British, Irish and Scottish dialects of conversation are spelled phonetically, which may be confusing to a younger reader. Each chapter has its own title page with a preview of the forthcoming chapter contents. The plot is chronological, periodically interrupted by chapters from Dr. Calamari’s private journal outlining his dastardly plans. Solomon Snow and the Stolen Jewel does stand alone, but, to better understand the characters it is a good idea to take the author’s advice and read the first book in the series. Recommended for children in grades 3-5.