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Caroline Tate #1
The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline: A Clever Tween Mystery About Siblings Catching a Criminal for Kids (Ages 10-12)
"Warm, appealing, and cleverly devised." —Booklist The most useless and obnoxious thing in the world to Caroline Tate is her older brother, J.P., the genius with the photographic memory. But now, for the first time, she needs him. She needs him because upstairs in the fifth-floor apartment of their building is a mystery man who plans to commit a terrible crime—and she and J.P. are the targets! Luckily, Caroline's best friend, Stacy, wants to be an investigative journalist, so she knows how to gather evidence. Together, Caroline, Stacy, and J.P. set out to catch this criminal red-handed before he can pull off his dastardly deed!
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1983
10 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Lois Lowry
144 books22.9k followersTaken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
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September 17, 2018
This review of The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline, Switcharound and Your Move, J.P.!, also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Ever since I finished the Anastasia Krupnik and Sam Krupnik series in 2014, I have been meaning to read more of Lois Lowry's older realistic fiction titles. When I discovered OpenLibrary.org during January's Bout of Books read-a-thon, I searched for some of her books just to see what was available, and found that all three books in her series about the Tate family were there. I wound up reading all three over the course of just a couple of days.
The first book, The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline, introduces the Tate siblings: eleven-year-old Caroline, and her older brother, J.P. After snooping in the trash can near the mailboxes, Caroline becomes convinced that a neighbor on the top floor of her apartment building is a murderer. When she learns that this same man has begun dating her single mother, Caroline and her best friend Stacey begin to make plans to unmask his true identity before Caroline and J.P. become his next victims.
In Switcharound, the second book, Caroline and J.P. are sent to stay with their father who, after divorcing from their mother, has started a whole new family which now includes a six-year-old son named Poochie and identical twin baby girls. Their dad has no real idea of what to do with Caroline and J.P., so he and his wife put them to work. J.P. must coach Poochie's baseball team, while Caroline is responsible for babysitting the twins. As both kids struggle in their assigned tasks, it becomes clear that they are each better suited to doing the other's job, and they help each other out, all while first planning revenge on their father and then trying to undo their revenge plans when they realize how much trouble they will cause.
Finally, in Your Move, J.P.!, J.P. develops a crush on Angela, a new British girl in school, and makes up a lie to impress her. As he gets deeper and deeper into his lie - which is that he has a rare disease that will one day kill him - he also begins to realize Angela's flaws. In the meantime, J.P. prepares for a major chess tournament and spends time each day visiting with a homeless man in the park, who has challenged him to name an affliction for each letter of the alphabet.
This series is similar in some ways to the Anastasia and Sam books. Both Caroline and J.P. are exceptional children with academic interests (Caroline is a budding paleontologist who hangs around the Natural History Museum, and J.P. is a chess whiz) who still sometimes make foolish mistakes. Though the two siblings don't always see eye-to-eye they do have a warm relationship, and they seem amused by each other just as often as they are annoyed by each other. The writing is also quite good in both series. Lowry has a real knack for bringing these smart and quirky characters to life, and for giving them believable and endearing flaws.
The differences between the series lies mainly in the structure of the Krupnik and Tate families. While Anastasia and Sam have parents who are very much in love and living together, the Tates are divorced and Caroline and J.P. must deal with the complications of a step-mother, half-siblings, and a mother who goes on dates. Lowry doesn't paint this situation in an overly depressing light, but the differences in family make-up do give the Tate books a different point of view.
Overall, I enjoyed all three of these books, but Switcharound was my favorite. The events of The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline were amusing, but far-fetched, while Your Move, J.P.! was more of a typical middle grade story about a first crush than anything else. Switcharound has the most emotional depth of the three, and it tells a story that is very specific to the complexities of this one particular family. Mr. Tate doesn't always treat his kids fairly during their visit, but the injustice of their being forced to work only adds to the story's appeal. There is real uncertainty about whether things will turn out okay or not, and that makes for a very compelling read.
These books were all published between 1983 and 1990, so they are definitely a bit dated, but I wouldn't say they are totally irrelevant. The character development alone makes them worth the time of a contemporary reader, and they are available as ebooks, even though it doesn't look like any print editions are available right now. Kids who are already accustomed to reading older books will have no problem jumping right into these, and even those who typically read twenty-first century middle grade paperbacks might find these a refreshing change of pace. I certainly did.
Ever since I finished the Anastasia Krupnik and Sam Krupnik series in 2014, I have been meaning to read more of Lois Lowry's older realistic fiction titles. When I discovered OpenLibrary.org during January's Bout of Books read-a-thon, I searched for some of her books just to see what was available, and found that all three books in her series about the Tate family were there. I wound up reading all three over the course of just a couple of days.
The first book, The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline, introduces the Tate siblings: eleven-year-old Caroline, and her older brother, J.P. After snooping in the trash can near the mailboxes, Caroline becomes convinced that a neighbor on the top floor of her apartment building is a murderer. When she learns that this same man has begun dating her single mother, Caroline and her best friend Stacey begin to make plans to unmask his true identity before Caroline and J.P. become his next victims.
In Switcharound, the second book, Caroline and J.P. are sent to stay with their father who, after divorcing from their mother, has started a whole new family which now includes a six-year-old son named Poochie and identical twin baby girls. Their dad has no real idea of what to do with Caroline and J.P., so he and his wife put them to work. J.P. must coach Poochie's baseball team, while Caroline is responsible for babysitting the twins. As both kids struggle in their assigned tasks, it becomes clear that they are each better suited to doing the other's job, and they help each other out, all while first planning revenge on their father and then trying to undo their revenge plans when they realize how much trouble they will cause.
Finally, in Your Move, J.P.!, J.P. develops a crush on Angela, a new British girl in school, and makes up a lie to impress her. As he gets deeper and deeper into his lie - which is that he has a rare disease that will one day kill him - he also begins to realize Angela's flaws. In the meantime, J.P. prepares for a major chess tournament and spends time each day visiting with a homeless man in the park, who has challenged him to name an affliction for each letter of the alphabet.
This series is similar in some ways to the Anastasia and Sam books. Both Caroline and J.P. are exceptional children with academic interests (Caroline is a budding paleontologist who hangs around the Natural History Museum, and J.P. is a chess whiz) who still sometimes make foolish mistakes. Though the two siblings don't always see eye-to-eye they do have a warm relationship, and they seem amused by each other just as often as they are annoyed by each other. The writing is also quite good in both series. Lowry has a real knack for bringing these smart and quirky characters to life, and for giving them believable and endearing flaws.
The differences between the series lies mainly in the structure of the Krupnik and Tate families. While Anastasia and Sam have parents who are very much in love and living together, the Tates are divorced and Caroline and J.P. must deal with the complications of a step-mother, half-siblings, and a mother who goes on dates. Lowry doesn't paint this situation in an overly depressing light, but the differences in family make-up do give the Tate books a different point of view.
Overall, I enjoyed all three of these books, but Switcharound was my favorite. The events of The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline were amusing, but far-fetched, while Your Move, J.P.! was more of a typical middle grade story about a first crush than anything else. Switcharound has the most emotional depth of the three, and it tells a story that is very specific to the complexities of this one particular family. Mr. Tate doesn't always treat his kids fairly during their visit, but the injustice of their being forced to work only adds to the story's appeal. There is real uncertainty about whether things will turn out okay or not, and that makes for a very compelling read.
These books were all published between 1983 and 1990, so they are definitely a bit dated, but I wouldn't say they are totally irrelevant. The character development alone makes them worth the time of a contemporary reader, and they are available as ebooks, even though it doesn't look like any print editions are available right now. Kids who are already accustomed to reading older books will have no problem jumping right into these, and even those who typically read twenty-first century middle grade paperbacks might find these a refreshing change of pace. I certainly did.
December 18, 2018
At the same time Barbara Park was making a name for herself with juvenile humor novels in the 1980s, so was Lois Lowry. One might not think of her as a humorist, but Ms. Lowry could be almost as funny as Barbara Park. Caroline Tate, age eleven, is an apartment-dwelling girl of 1980s New York City. Her interest in dinosaurs is insatiable; she regularly visits the Museum of Natural History to explore the prehistoric exhibits, and has made friends with Gregor Keretsky, a vertebrate paleontologist with an office at the museum. Caroline is serious about growing up to be a paleontologist, as her thirteen-year-old brother J.P. and their mother know. Caroline's closest friend from school, Stacy Baurichter, is from a much wealthier family than Caroline but shares the same mild level of eccentricity, desiring to be an investigative reporter. Caroline and Stacy imagine all sorts of mysteries for them to look into together, but a serious possible threat is about to emerge.
Caroline is curious about Frederick Fiske, who lives on the top floor of her apartment building. She knows every other resident well but hasn't received more than a curt nod from Mr. Fiske, and she's not pleased with his opaqueness. Then Caroline finds an opened letter in the apartment entryway's wastebasket, containing eye-opening information. A man named Carl Broderick wrote the letter to Mr. Fiske, suggesting he "eliminate the kids." Elsewhere, Mr. Fiske's mail indicated a peculiar interest in forensic toxicology. But the man lives alone; what kids would he kill? The dots connect when Caroline learns her mother is dating Mr. Fiske. If he dislikes children, would he do away with Caroline and J.P.? It's time for Caroline and Stacy to launch an investigation.
The girls find further circumstantial evidence that Frederick Fiske is a potential murderer, but Caroline is afraid to tell her mother. Joanna Tate wouldn't believe such a wild story. Caroline is usually at odds with J.P., an electronics whiz who takes pleasure in provoking his sister, but even he agrees something must be done when Caroline presents him with her case against Mr. Fiske. They're convinced it's a matter of time before Mr. Fiske poisons them, so they need to trick him into confessing now. Stacy, Gregor Keretsky, and Mr. Fiske are invited for a dinner party at the Tate apartment, where Caroline and J.P.'s plan to entrap Mr. Fiske will be put into action. How will the drama play out by evening's end?
Lois Lowry is famous for writing on sobering topics, notably her Newbery Medal winners Number the Stars (1990) and The Giver (1994). But she always did humor well: The Willoughbys, The Birthday Ball, and her Anastasia Krupnik and Gooney Bird Greene series are just a few examples. The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline isn't innovative or emotionally riveting, but offers laugh-out-loud moments, and the quirky characters are fun to be around. I'd read the sequel, Switcharound. If comedy is what you're after, you'll enjoy The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline.
Caroline is curious about Frederick Fiske, who lives on the top floor of her apartment building. She knows every other resident well but hasn't received more than a curt nod from Mr. Fiske, and she's not pleased with his opaqueness. Then Caroline finds an opened letter in the apartment entryway's wastebasket, containing eye-opening information. A man named Carl Broderick wrote the letter to Mr. Fiske, suggesting he "eliminate the kids." Elsewhere, Mr. Fiske's mail indicated a peculiar interest in forensic toxicology. But the man lives alone; what kids would he kill? The dots connect when Caroline learns her mother is dating Mr. Fiske. If he dislikes children, would he do away with Caroline and J.P.? It's time for Caroline and Stacy to launch an investigation.
The girls find further circumstantial evidence that Frederick Fiske is a potential murderer, but Caroline is afraid to tell her mother. Joanna Tate wouldn't believe such a wild story. Caroline is usually at odds with J.P., an electronics whiz who takes pleasure in provoking his sister, but even he agrees something must be done when Caroline presents him with her case against Mr. Fiske. They're convinced it's a matter of time before Mr. Fiske poisons them, so they need to trick him into confessing now. Stacy, Gregor Keretsky, and Mr. Fiske are invited for a dinner party at the Tate apartment, where Caroline and J.P.'s plan to entrap Mr. Fiske will be put into action. How will the drama play out by evening's end?
Lois Lowry is famous for writing on sobering topics, notably her Newbery Medal winners Number the Stars (1990) and The Giver (1994). But she always did humor well: The Willoughbys, The Birthday Ball, and her Anastasia Krupnik and Gooney Bird Greene series are just a few examples. The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline isn't innovative or emotionally riveting, but offers laugh-out-loud moments, and the quirky characters are fun to be around. I'd read the sequel, Switcharound. If comedy is what you're after, you'll enjoy The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline.
September 15, 2022
re-read for the ...10th? time September 2022. SO GOOD. I didn't even do it on purpose, but it's a great companion to watching "Only Murders in the Building."
this is such a great book, and caroline is such a great character. when i was young i remember wishing i had a passion like hers with the museum. (in retrospect, i realize that my passion was the library).
the absolute best part of the book, though, is the ending. amazing!
this is such a great book, and caroline is such a great character. when i was young i remember wishing i had a passion like hers with the museum. (in retrospect, i realize that my passion was the library).
the absolute best part of the book, though, is the ending. amazing!
September 16, 2022
Nostalgia re-read. I can’t believe how much of this book I remembered, even though I didn’t think I read it that many times as a kid. It was a minor point, but I remembered the artichokes long after I forgot about the rest of the book. And the ending is just perfect.
February 1, 2013
Why, when I was such an Anastasia fan, it took me almost 30 years to read this, I do not know. I'm very happy NYPL still has a copy, because it's a great book and a wonderful time capsule of the Upper West Side before everyone got priced out of living there.
I love how Lowry incorporates adult-child friendships in so many of her books. And she's funny! The bit about Caroline speculating about the newlyweds upstairs. And the final dinner scene, of course.
I love how Lowry incorporates adult-child friendships in so many of her books. And she's funny! The bit about Caroline speculating about the newlyweds upstairs. And the final dinner scene, of course.
July 10, 2013
I'm putting this one on my Burton-browbeating shelf, even though in truth I had to drag this recommendation from the Burtons with barbed hooks. And wow, I'm glad I did. Unfailingly hilarious, Caroline observes life through her own special lens. She's an entirely geeky dinosaur-lover who has a wanna-be journalist best friend, a mostly obnoxious brother, a wry and observant mother...oh, the whole cast of characters here is a delight. I chortled and guffawed my way through this, little realizing that while I was laughing I was also being drawn ever deeper into Caroline's world.
A few bits, too good not to share:
"Parsnips! Mom! Nobody makes their kids eat parsnips! Listen, before you do another thing, Mom, call the Hot Line for Child Abuse. Confess to them that you were planning to feed parsnips to your children. They're there to help you, Mom."
and
"Maybe by then I will have married a millionaire," said their mother. "In the meantime, do either of you want another sandwich, bearing in mind that this bologna cost $1.89 a pound?"
A few bits, too good not to share:
"Parsnips! Mom! Nobody makes their kids eat parsnips! Listen, before you do another thing, Mom, call the Hot Line for Child Abuse. Confess to them that you were planning to feed parsnips to your children. They're there to help you, Mom."
and
"Maybe by then I will have married a millionaire," said their mother. "In the meantime, do either of you want another sandwich, bearing in mind that this bologna cost $1.89 a pound?"
April 18, 2020
This book was well written, but it was not what I had expected. I really enjoy Lois Lowry and the type of books she creates, but this one did not grasp my interest like most of the others do. I would still give this book a 4/5 rating and recommend it to anyone who likes this type if writing, but for some reason the flow of this book was not for me. I enjoyed the bonds being shown and I thought it was neat how invested in the investigation the main character Caroline was, but I think due to the age of the character, at my age it was hard to relate and reflect. The theme and plot were fantastic, and I think a younger reader would be far more invested into this material. I personally found this book fascinating due to the dinosaur talk and I think it would be great for those interested in science or any field related to dinosaurs.
June 23, 2017
I'm very aware that I'm about 15 years too old for this book's audience.
The premise is very cute. The characters, as always in a Lowry book, are authentic, superb and completely believable. Their antics are a great blend of what you would expect from a children's crime novel and what you can expect from real siblings in real life. The mom is a frazzled, overworked single parent who is entirely believable in a non-cliched way, and the plot - though slow - unfolds in a completely believable way that doesn't feel forced at all.
If anything, the reason why I didn't rate this higher is because as a 26 year old reading a book for an 11 year old, I found it predictable. Which isn't even a flaw of the story.
The premise is very cute. The characters, as always in a Lowry book, are authentic, superb and completely believable. Their antics are a great blend of what you would expect from a children's crime novel and what you can expect from real siblings in real life. The mom is a frazzled, overworked single parent who is entirely believable in a non-cliched way, and the plot - though slow - unfolds in a completely believable way that doesn't feel forced at all.
If anything, the reason why I didn't rate this higher is because as a 26 year old reading a book for an 11 year old, I found it predictable. Which isn't even a flaw of the story.
June 2, 2018
This was funny, heartwarming, and charming, peppered with a vision of New York in days gone by. Caroline is plagued by an annoying younger brother; has a best friend who wants to be a journalist and who spends her days digging through her neighbour's trash; and on top of that, Caroline's single mother is now dating someone who Caroline suspects is trying to kill her. Caroline must combine forces with her favourite adult, the curator at the museum, and her beastly younger brother to outwit her mother' new murderous boyfriend. I would have loved this if I were 10 or 11.
September 17, 2019
Loved this middle grade novel about an incorrigible girl who loves dinosaurs teaming up with her hated older brother to solve a mystery - and perhaps prevent a murder. Handed this one off to Abby (4th grade) and just heard laughing from the bedroom as she was reading. Read in preparation for an author study on Lois Lowry for a 5th/6th grade class
January 25, 2018
Read this book in 6th grade, and I still think about how much I loved it. It was the first book I read set in New York City, and it seemed like an amazing place to be a young girl.
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June 4, 2019I forgot that I meant to read this until a friend listed it as a best book about New York in the 80s. AGREE.
May 15, 2022
Got it from the free table at school. I love the giver by Lois lowery but this one not so much
December 27, 2023
C/R: 4
A/W: 3
W: 3
P/Intrigue: 3.5
L: 5
E: 4
3.8
A/W: 3
W: 3
P/Intrigue: 3.5
L: 5
E: 4
3.8
November 15, 2024
Like Only Murders in the Building but YA version.
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May 15, 2025This book was good and when talking about her color blind friend it made me feel color blind.
February 21, 2017
The title has nothing to do with the plot. Interesting protagonist but bland story.
March 25, 2015
While this book was entertaining, I feel it falls short of Lois Lowry's other books. It was predictable and kind of silly, but one must keep in mind that this review is coming from a grown woman reading a youngster's book. However, I do feel that Ms. Lowry is way more talented than is revealed in this particular novel.
Caroline is a young girl who lives on the west side of Manhattan with her older brother and divorced mother. She loves dinosaurs and the Museum of Natural History. Her best friend, Stacy, lives with her family, including her lawyer dad, in a high rise on the east side, a much more high end neighborhood, where she has a real dining room, a chandelier, a maid, and so on. When Caroline spends the night with Stacy, as a way of avoiding parsnips for dinner, she has a shrimp cocktail, steak and artichokes, which she would never dream of eating with her mom, unless she ordered a shrimp cocktail as her entree on the rare occasion that they went out for dinner. Stacy wants to be an investigative reporter when she grows up.
The girls believe they have found a mystery to solve, and to them, the clues are clear as day. Are they correct in their assumptions, or are they totally missing the mark? I will leave the discovery up to you. Humor, romance and friendship all make an appearance in this sweet but simple tale. For me, I definitely need to get back to adult novels for a good long while!
Caroline is a young girl who lives on the west side of Manhattan with her older brother and divorced mother. She loves dinosaurs and the Museum of Natural History. Her best friend, Stacy, lives with her family, including her lawyer dad, in a high rise on the east side, a much more high end neighborhood, where she has a real dining room, a chandelier, a maid, and so on. When Caroline spends the night with Stacy, as a way of avoiding parsnips for dinner, she has a shrimp cocktail, steak and artichokes, which she would never dream of eating with her mom, unless she ordered a shrimp cocktail as her entree on the rare occasion that they went out for dinner. Stacy wants to be an investigative reporter when she grows up.
The girls believe they have found a mystery to solve, and to them, the clues are clear as day. Are they correct in their assumptions, or are they totally missing the mark? I will leave the discovery up to you. Humor, romance and friendship all make an appearance in this sweet but simple tale. For me, I definitely need to get back to adult novels for a good long while!
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February 23, 2011The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline by Lois Lowry (1983): Caroline Tate lives with her “Beastly” older brother and her single mother in New York City, dreams of becoming a paleontologist, and hates weird vegetables. But when she stumbles onto a neighbor’s plot to “eliminate the kids” in his apartment building using an overdue toxicology book, she and her brother may have to team up to protect themselves.
This story is told from Caroline’s perspective, and enough information is given right away that makes her easy to identify with: she doesn’t like eggplant, she has an annoying brother, her family is on a lean budget, and she secretly sleeps with a stuffed animal. Although the resolution to the “mystery” plot may be anticipated by YAs, the story still surprises and amuses. Also notable is that each of the children has embraced an eccentricity: Caroline wants to study dinosaurs, her brother regularly dismantles and “repairs” the household electronics, and her future-journalist friend Stacy regularly speaks in headlines, e.g. “KIDS RESHOD. MEAL BEGINS.”
This story is told from Caroline’s perspective, and enough information is given right away that makes her easy to identify with: she doesn’t like eggplant, she has an annoying brother, her family is on a lean budget, and she secretly sleeps with a stuffed animal. Although the resolution to the “mystery” plot may be anticipated by YAs, the story still surprises and amuses. Also notable is that each of the children has embraced an eccentricity: Caroline wants to study dinosaurs, her brother regularly dismantles and “repairs” the household electronics, and her future-journalist friend Stacy regularly speaks in headlines, e.g. “KIDS RESHOD. MEAL BEGINS.”
December 6, 2014
As a child of the 1960's, I love Lois Lowry books and wonder how I missed them all the first time through. Ha. Although I knew from "eliminate the children" what ultimately would happen in this book, how she did it was very interesting to me. Clever, funny, a great "I know what's going to happen, when will the protagonist figure it out" sort of read. And the best part? I thought I'd already read all of her books when I found this one in my fifth grade daughter's school library. It's like yearning for a favorite dead author to come back from the grave somehow and keep writing, and then discovering there are titles still to explore (the late Dick King-Smith is the other children's book author I love and have read --I think -- everything by him). If you're looking for old-school (I grew up in the 60's and 70's) decent children's fiction, you might enjoy this book (copyright 1983). LOVE YOUR STUFF LOIS!
May 25, 2013
JUVENILES JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS!
This book discusses the dangers of children's overactive imaginations and their natural desire to play detective. One new man in the apartment building, two strange letters from an "Agent" and three snoopy kids plotting to prevent multiple murders--maybe even their own! The tendency of Caroline's girlfriend to speak in imaginary newspaper headlines is cute.
It's a fluffy plotline resulting from misconceptions and jumping to conclusions based on circumstantial evidence--all of which causes social concerns and embarrassmet for Caroline's family. The book also suggests that museums are valuable to society. Clever puns and witty dialgoue make this a quick, fun read! This literary recipe serves up Lowry Lite!
(April 20, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
This book discusses the dangers of children's overactive imaginations and their natural desire to play detective. One new man in the apartment building, two strange letters from an "Agent" and three snoopy kids plotting to prevent multiple murders--maybe even their own! The tendency of Caroline's girlfriend to speak in imaginary newspaper headlines is cute.
It's a fluffy plotline resulting from misconceptions and jumping to conclusions based on circumstantial evidence--all of which causes social concerns and embarrassmet for Caroline's family. The book also suggests that museums are valuable to society. Clever puns and witty dialgoue make this a quick, fun read! This literary recipe serves up Lowry Lite!
(April 20, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
August 7, 2008
First read this book when I was younger and found it again searching for books for my niece. She passed on it but I read it for nostalgia's sake and found I didn't like it as well as I had the first time around. Looking at it now the premise seems pretty ridiculous -- young girl becomes convinced that her mysterious upstairs neighbor is out to murder her and her brother (if this was really what was going on this would be one scary book!)
I did still like Caroline and the bits I had remembered liking from my childhood were still good (like Caroline's dinosaur fascination and her journalist-wannabe friend who speaks in headlines) but overall the book was not as good as I remembered. So sad it goes that way sometimes with childhood favorites.
I did still like Caroline and the bits I had remembered liking from my childhood were still good (like Caroline's dinosaur fascination and her journalist-wannabe friend who speaks in headlines) but overall the book was not as good as I remembered. So sad it goes that way sometimes with childhood favorites.
October 11, 2011
I enjoyed this book as a child, maybe because like Caroline, I was obsessed with dinosaurs. As an adult, it's predictable, but still very sweet. I especially liked Caroline's relationship with Gregor. It must be hard to write an adult/child friendship that doesn't come across as vaguely creepy, but I think Lowry succeeds. If only all nerdy kids could have adults in their lives who "got" their interests.
August 24, 2024
Update Aug. 2024: First reread in at least 25 years. It holds up so well. Still laugh-out-loud funny, and really brought me back to growing up in the 1980s. I remembered some lines and things that had been new to me as a child, and was touched by things I didn't remember, particularly the goodness of Joanna Tate and the history of Gregor Keretsky. Lois Lowry has taught me so much about people.
Original review:
Has my favorite last 2 lines ever!
Original review:
Has my favorite last 2 lines ever!
September 27, 2008
It's about a girl named Caroline and her friend, Stacy who think the upstairs neighbor is a murderer of children. They gather clues to try and figure out what he is up to. Caroline even involves her brother, JP, who loves electronics (he even makes his own electric chair for the neighbor). Interesting, I think I'd like it more if I read it as a child.
June 3, 2009
I really like middle grade books by Lowry, because she somehow manages to capture how freaking adorable these kids are without being patronizing at all. And like I've said a million times, I think she writes the very best parents and other adults ever, three-dimensional people and not just GROWN-UPS.
Also, at this point in my career, the "twist" was pretty funny.
Also, at this point in my career, the "twist" was pretty funny.
August 26, 2011
I liked this little story about an 11 year old girl and her best friend and her big brother. I loved the context of life in the early 80's. Ms Lowry understands kids and their struggles and every book I've read of hers rings true to me.
There are lots of great books in the Juvenille section at the library; I love picking up books for me while the kids look.
There are lots of great books in the Juvenille section at the library; I love picking up books for me while the kids look.
March 19, 2013
Meh. So far I have loved Lowry's work, but this one was ... kind of more for children. I say that because within the first couple of chapters, when the plot line begins, it is terribly obvious what the twist at the end will be. I appreciate the Caroline is really into dinosaurs, and I appreciate that she and her brother have a love/hate relationship, but ... yeah, meh.
August 30, 2015
Light and fluffy, but ultimately too predictable for my tastes. I can see it being popular with elementary school kids, however, and it could be used to teach about foreshadowing. Not a bad book by any means, but not as good as Lowry gets.
3/5 on here, 6/10 for myself
3/5 on here, 6/10 for myself
July 28, 2012
I read 'The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline' when I was 8 or 9, and I remember enjoying it very much! It's predictable (although it probably wasn't when I read it as a little girl), but cute and unique.
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