Book Review: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

The Parker Inheritance
by Varian Johnson (j Johnson)

If you pick up The Parker Inheritance for a kid, be sure to check out The Westing Game (1978) by Ellen Raskin at the same time. Not only do these two books share the similarity of a riddle-filled letter with a millionaire’s inheritance as the promised prize, but the characters in The Parker Inheritance read and talk about The Westing Game during their own puzzle challenge.

In the present-day timeline, Candice and her mom have moved to her late grandmother’s house for the summer. Things start to look up when she finds out that Brandon, the boy next door, is also a voracious reader. When they exhaust their current haul of library books and go adventuring in her grandma’s attic, Candice finds a mysterious letter addressed to her. The letter promises an inheritance that will be split between the city of Lambert and the one who solves the puzzle.

To solve the puzzle, Candice and Brandon research city history, especially about critical events that took place in 1957 involving a secret tennis match between the white and “colored” tennis teams.

A good portion of the chapters take place in 1957, giving readers an immersive experience in Jim Crow era Lambert and a personal connection to the people that Candice and Brandon are learning about in yearbooks, photographs, and news articles. It’s worth looking at the physical book The Parker Inheritance because the page edges are darkened for the flashback chapters. You can also see time ripple across the cover, with Candice and Brandon riding bikes along a contemporary street that turns monochrome as it shows a scene from the 1950s. It’s a beautiful cover that rewards careful scrutiny as you read the book.

The Parker Inheritance is an authentic way to introduce the Jim Crow era to kids because–unlike some other commonly used books–it’s by a Black author and centered on Black kids, teens, and adults. It draws a line from racism in the 1950s to the racism that Black kids are still experiencing today. Colorism is clearly shown, even if the term for it isn’t used. This book doesn’t rely on shock value of the N-word, though that word is alluded to. It uses language of the time—most notably “colored” and “negro”—but lets readers know these terms are not as acceptable today.

Racial prejudice is not the only prejudice addressed in this story. In the current-day chapters, the kids experience and challenge homophobia. Some other reviewers have considered this to be “too many issues” for one book. I take strong exception to this because it would erase all queer people of color from children’s literature for having more than one degree of difference from a white/straight/male “norm.” That’s unrealistic even based on my own experience as someone who checks all the privilege boxes.

As a final note, this is not the kind of puzzle book where kids can be expected to figure it out ahead of time based on clues. There’s a *lot* going on. I was completely surprised and impressed by a key point in unraveling the mystery. But that’s okay. The story is engaging and would reward a re-read after knowing the mystery.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Escape From Mr. Lemencello’s Library, by Chris Grabenstein.]

[ official Parker Inheritance and Varian Johnson web site ]

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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