Review of "A Museum Robbery" by Tuula Pere, PhD

Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)

Well, this Tuula Pere book was surprising... in the most unsurprising of ways!
We actually didn't think things would go this way. Why?

Well, because Pere—our 2023 & 2024 Author of the Year—often has a great deal of depth, nuance, and moral ambiguity to her work. Things are usually never so simple. Good and evil are usually never so clear. The path toward the protagonist's goal(s) is usually never so straight.

Pere is known for her twists and turns. However, this book is distinctly different. It goes the way you probably think it's going to go.
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Still, this book has a lot of bright spots and things we liked and appreciated about it! First and foremost, the illustrations by Dane D'Angeli are awesome! The action is clear. The characters are expressive. The background are colorful, except in scenes that imply mystery (which is fitting). The illustrations actually look hand-drawn and hand-colored, like they were created with color pencils on a canvas. We really liked that! Everything seems digital, cell-shaded, or AI these days. It's always nice to see illustrations that were actually created by a human being by hand.

We also loved the idea that kids are empowered to make a difference. They can step up and do what's right when they see something wrong. They can be the heroes. They can be the problem-solvers.

It's very encouraging and inspiring to see young people taking problem-solving into their own hands. Even when they lack the years of wisdom and the resources (often) to do things that adults do, they can still make a dent and a difference. We like that message.

This book follows little Emma and Oliver, students who love visiting the local museum. However, there's one caveat to that: their enjoyment is often ruined by the museum's grumpy caretaker, Mr. Oddyman. Mr. Oddyman comes across as territorial and possessive over the museum, acting like it belongs to him. He always watches the guests like a hawk.

Anyway, his retirement comes as a relief to Emma and Oliver.

Mr. Oddyman demonstrates that he's still a grump, throwing the bouquet of flowers he was kindly given in the back seat.

The plot really begins when there's a robbery in the museum. Several items including jewels have gone missing! Oh, no!

A detective is on the case but, naturally, he proves to be ineffective at his job.

Incidentally, Emma and Oliver encounter Mr. Oddyman, surprisingly in a better mood. He sweet talks the two kids and asks them to do him a favor: deliver some jelly jars to his sister because—he claims—his leg is injured.

Now, there are several things to note here:
Mr. Oddyman is clearly not acting like himself or the character that has been established, so that's suspicious.
He also seems to be lying about his leg injury because he climbs a ladder soon afterward.
Also, the deal he makes the two kids is actually pretty underhanded: they will essentially work for him in exchange for the apples from his trees, but—and here's the key—only the fallen apples (not the fresh ones from the trees themselves).

Yeah, this guy is bad news, and Emma and Oliver have the presence of mind and instincts to identify that.

You know... maybe Mr. Oddyman or this plot isn't as shallow or straightforward as we initially thought. Imagine being him: working and caring for a building for decades... you probably make just over minimum wage + occasional raises. You're surrounded by valuable treasures and artifacts—temptations. Plus you know the ins and outs of the building. Plus you have the keys!

And you know what? He does reference having a sister who is probably an accomplice to the robbery. However, what else can we learn about her? She's never shown. She's only mentioned once or twice. We never hear her speak. We never get her side of the story. We never even find out if she really knew what was in the jelly jars (though it's unlikely she didn't). What if she's terminally ill? What if Mr. Oddyman is terminally ill? What if this is his way of trying to ensure that his sister and his remaining family can have financial security and something to live off of in the absence of a sizable pension or 401K? No, that doesn't make it right, but it does make it relatable and understandable.

That's a lot to think about!

Check it out on Amazon!