VIOLET BING AND THE GRAND HOUSE

Almost eight, Violet Bing is not a shrinking violet; in fact, she says “no” a lot. Usually it’s to small things, like lumpy pancakes or swimming or a play date, but now she refuses to join her parents for the family vacation. Her parents call her bluff and Violet ends up staying with her great-aunt Astrid in her big house. The lure of The Grand House is not immediately obvious to our young heroine as she is much too busy finding fault and refusing to enjoy anything. But, her great-aunt’s blasé attitude and the house’s “Sunroom” finally force Violet to come out of her shell and into the land of imagination and even friendship. Paros’s delightful sketches, one step away from stick figures, are the perfect light touch this endearing story deserves. Violet, with her eight or so strands of stick-straight hair, equally straight arms and enormous feet, finds her special place, her own Mary Jane shoes and many “Things of Interest.” Let’s hope this is not the last of Violet. (Fiction. 7-10)