Illustrated by Kevin Cornell
It wasn’t too long ago that I read the humorously quirky kids’ book, Lulu Walks the Dog, to my children (11, 12). We enjoyed it so much that we promised to keep our eyes peeled for more. I found Lulu’s Mysterious Mission in another thrift store and was glad to give it a go.
This story opens with another warning direct from author Judith Viorst to her readers, that this book is about Lulu’s babysitter, not her mysterious mission, but also that some kids told her the title had to be catchy and not boring, so she didn’t call it Lulu’s Babysitter. As I mentioned in the previous Lulu review, I love this writing tool, this conversation between author and reader, as it engages readers on a whole other level. We recently finished reading A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears, and in that super-enjoyable book, author Jules Feiffer does the same thing, interacting with his readers, letting us know that the story’s direct from his own head, but that it also sometimes gets away from him.
The Lulu we meet in this book is slightly grown up now following her previous experiences with a dinosaur and a career. “She doesn’t screech much anymore” (3), yet, “even though [she] wasn’t the serious pain in the butt that she used to be, she wasn’t the easiest girl in the world to be parents to when she didn’t get her way” (5).
Still snippy and smart, Lulu faces another tragedy on the first page when her parents inform her that they must go away on a trip, and Lulu’s not invited. Instead, they’ve arranged to have the city’s highest-rated babysitter come and watch her for the week, much to Lulu’s chagrin. When Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky arrives in her military fatigues (and what I interpreted as a Russian accent), Lulu is terrified. When her parents leave, she tries to escape. As time progresses, however, Lulu grows to appreciate the woman’s fastidious nature, especially when she uncovers the woman’s particularly intriguing secret.
There’s a lot of play between author and reader in this book, which makes it a fun read for child and adult alike. As the reader, I enjoyed its mystery and humor as much as my kids did. Although it’s finely illustrated in blacks and greys by artist Kevin Cornell, only I was looking at the majority of the pictures. Of course, in the later chapters when disguises came into play, I definitely had to show those pics to my kids from across the room—and we got a big chuckle out of each and every one.
Although this book contains no neighbor-kid Fleischman, it was still a fun read. I’ll be giving both of these books to my niece for Christmas, and we’ll otherwise keep our eyes peeled for the rest of the series.
©2023 E.T.
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