Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot
(Violet Mackerel #1)

Gr 1-3--Every Saturday seven-year-old Violet Mackerel accompanies her mother, sister, and brother to the local market where her mother tries to sell her knitted goods. When she covets a special blue china bird but does not have 10 dollars to pay for it; she needs to concoct a brilliant plan to come up with the money. Can she try digging in her backyard to unearth ancient dinosaur bones? Will she be able to think of something she can knit and sell? This is a sweet story about a likable little girl who just longs for something small. While Violet is still a unique character, she is much more subdued than Judy Moody or Junie B. Jones, and there is definitely an audience for a quiet but creative heroine. Black-and-white drawings, some full page, add touches of whimsy and humor. A charming easy reader that also serves as a thoughtful, gentle read-aloud.--Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, VA