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Title: The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues
ISBN: 0525408053
Author:
Ellen Raskin
Publicate Date: 1975-04-28
Publish: 1975-04-28
List Price: $15.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest Used Price: $12.94
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| Customer Review: |
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1: I can't believe this book is out of print!
I discovered "The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues" after reading Raskin's more famous novel, "The Westing Game." While "Potato" isn't as intricately plotted, it still shows Raskin's masterful ability to hoodwink her readers even as she entertains them. Her books are never simple whodunits; they're a riot of red herrings and surprisingly deep characters that make it easy to miss what the actual mystery is.
In "Potato," there are any number of obvious mysteries, as Dickory Dock and her employee Garson play detective to help the police solve crimes. These cases are presented almost as short stories, and while the reader doesn't have enough information to solve them on his/her own, they're still a lot of fun. The bigger mystery, though, is Garson, a shallow, vain, second-rate painter who shares his house with a pair of blackmailers and a deaf-mute he named Isaac Bickerstaff. It won't take sharp readers very long to guess at least some of Garson's secrets.
The real heart of this book, like "The Westing Game," is that everyone's identity is a bit of a mystery. This book is filled with disguises, pseudonyms, and impersonations as Dickory struggles to learn who she really is, and who her companions are. The ending isn't as tidy as "The Westing Game," but it's surprisingly satisfying to see Dickory grow and become more comfortable with herself, as a person and as an artist. She even embraces her much-despised name.
It's just a tragedy that this book is out of print. If you can find a used copy, snap it up! It's a great book for kids; this book was my first introduction to art, as well as the poetry of Christina Rossetti. It's even more fun now in the days of internet searches, because you can look up the artists they discuss and form your own opinions of their works. But it's also a surprisingly deep book for adults as well, and one that's sadly overlooked.
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2: Deeply disappointing, faulty morality & social perspective
The book delves very little into art, aside from introducing "Roy G Biv" (the color spectrum, red-orange-yellow...violet).
Worse, I was offended by its outright snobbery toward poor/homeless people and its condescencion toward handicapped people. Its elitism on several other fronts was also questionable morality to put in front of young, impressionable minds.
The use of silly names would have been appropriate in a short humorous story or 7~8yo kids' book; in this longer young-adults' book it wore on one's nerves.
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3: excellent book
I've read this book more than 12 times... what else do I have to say?
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4: An All-Time Favorite
I was fortunate enough to read "The Tattooed Potato and other clues" a few times before my local library took it off the shelves. I absolutely love this book and it's still among my top five favorites though now that I'm older (and hopefully wiser) I've read a wider selection of profound and celebrated literature. I'm rathe saddened by the fact that I cannot find this book any longer even at the library.In this story, an art student by the name of Dickory Dock (a name that makes her cringe thanks to the inevitable puns with it) becomes an assistant to Garson, a mysterious and eccentric artist living in Greenwich village. Mysteries within a mystery is the best way to describe the events of this book-- Dickory and Garson begin solving cases for the police chief, acting as Inspector Noserag (Garson backwards, almost) and Sergeant Kod (Dock backwards, almost) as they deduce. 'Sergeant Kod' starts to form her own deductions as she gets to know the many faces of Garson and finds herself entangled in a bigger mystery. Highly recommended! I strongly urge you to read it should the oppurtunity presents itself-- it's hard to come by this great book now that it is out-of-print.
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5: The Better Book
This was a better book than The Westing Game, which I love. It is unfortunate that it is out of print, because I would love to own it. (I checked it out from the library when I was a kid.) If you can find it, buy it!
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