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Jan 02, 2012

Nicola rated it:

Reason for Reading: I really only read this because I had received a review copy in the mail. I don't think it would have normally appealed to me otherwise.

I'm sorry it took me so long to read this book as I really enjoyed it. I love mysteries, as an adult, but don't usually read kid mysteries often except as read alouds and then I stick with tried and true authors I already know. Blue Balliett is new to me, so I haven't read her other critically acclaimed books but if this is onl More...

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Sep 11, 2011

Ellen rated it:

Balliett's previous books have marvelous puzzles that the protagonists and the readers must solve. The puzzle in this book is less well developed and doesn't integrate into the story well. The story is about a 12 year old boy who is legally blind and may have Asperger's Syndrome. Zoomy, as he is called, lives with his grandparents in a small town in Michigan. His alcoholic father, who does not realize that he has a son, pays an unexpected visit to have his parents keep a box that was in a tr More...

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Aug 22, 2011

Phong-le rated it:

Zoomy's life was ordinary from the day he was a baby. Zoomy lived with his grandparents named Grandpa Ash and Grandma Al. While Grandma Al does the cooking and half the gardening, Grandpa Ash goes to the store. The store is where Grandpa Ash sells antiques, although sometimes he helps with gardening. And Zoomy does the watering and weeding in the garden.That was all Zoomy's life was all about. Until he found the "dangerous box".

Buckeye was the one that who gave him th More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Daniel added it

this book is about this man who got something really precious and sends it to people to deliver it to a safe place. then it ends up in the back of a pick up truck. in this book a boy looks inside it and found a diary with list and memos of things. the diary dated back from 1865! then all of a sudden his granparent's store caught on fire and he and his new friend laurrel trys to capture the person who did it.

(i forgot his name) he was living with his grandparents. his grandpa owns a s More...

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Jul 13, 2011

Charlyn rated it:

Blue Balliett's mysteries always have a lot packed into them and this one is no exception. The primary narrator is Zoomy, a child with pathological myopia which renders him almost blind and with OCD. Apparently left on his grandparents doorstep by his mother, Zoomy has been happily reared in a small town by them. Their son Buckeye, his father, disappeared long ago and is unaware of the child left behind. When he arrives back in town in a stolen truck, he leaves a mysterious box in which Zoomy More...

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Feb 10, 2011

Shannon rated it:

I'm a fan of Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3 and The Calder Game, so when I found The Danger Box on the shelf, I picked it up - for my eleven and nine year daughters to read - but also for me. I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as Balliett's previous ones.

The Danger Box is the story of Zoomy, a young boy who lives with his grandparents in a small Michigan town. Zoomy is legally blind and can only see clearly without glasses the length of one finger and with gla More...

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Jan 23, 2011

Pam rated it:

Over the past few years, Blue Balliett has entertained young, middle readers with mysteries that are suspenseful and full of puzzles while providing some sophisticated cultural references for children. In this story, Blue pushes her boundaries a bit while maintaining her signature style. Set in rural Michigan the reader meets Zoomy, a 12 year old living with his grandparents, who help him cope and accept his pathological myopia and slight autism. He keeps his world in order by maintaining list More...

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Jan 21, 2011

Stacy rated it:

I'll tell you what got me hooked about reading this book, and that was the page right before the table of contents....

'Author's Note: Opening the Box
ONE OF THE objects in The Danger Box is real. It was stolen from its owners a long time ago and is still missing. It is fragile, easily recognized around the world, too valuable to put a price on, and could fit in your pocket. In wondering where it is today and dreaming up this mystery, I also thought about how: 1- Every More...

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Dec 20, 2010

Becky rated it:

12-year-old Zoomy Chamberlain is legally blind and mildly autistic, but he doesn't let these limitations darken his life. Abandoned on his grandparents' doorstep as an infant, Zoomy is content with his quiet life, and his collection of notebooks keeps his thoughts in order. Then the father he never met upsets his world, leaving a mysterious box taken from a truck he stole. Inside is a notebook, which thrills Zoomy. It is very old, and as Zoomy tries to read the words scrawled inside, he becomes More...

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Nov 14, 2010

Beverly rated it:

This was my first experience reading a Blue Balliett(Chasing Vermeer)mystery for young adults. It was outstanding, however much of what makes it a special read may be over the heads of younger readers. Zoomy, the almost teen protagonist is OCD and probably ASD, which explains why he is so tenacious in unraveling the mystery of why his loser bio-dad has suddenly turned up, threatened Zoomy's wonderful grandparents and left behind a very old, very unusual, scientific journal. Younger readers will More...

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Oct 28, 2010

Elaine rated it:

gr 5-8
This is definitely a spooky, mysterious story, beginning with the cover. It echoes Konigsburg and Raskin with the mystery and perhaps even When You Reach Me, because of the changing point of view, and multiple storylines. This was an interesting read with some great characters and a puzzle to put together as to how the characters connect. However, I wasn't entirely convinced that the main character was as old as he was supposed to be, as he had some behaviors I thought were appli More...

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Oct 15, 2010

Caitlin rated it:

Reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. Although it is never stated that the child has Asperger's Syndrome, I would say it's definitely a possibility. The way Zoomy thinks, lists, taps his chin and loses it when things change unexpectedly point to Asperger's for me. As I lay in bed after I finished this book though, I thought to myself about what it matters whether or not Zoomy has Asperger's, and for this story it really doesn't. He is also legally blind, More...

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Apr 24, 2011

Andree rated it:

The Danger Box

This book is a middle school teacher's dream. It can easily be integrated with mathematics, science, Social Studies and, of course, English Language Arts. There is the requisite disability or two, one which is never named and one which is, so we can have a general discussion about disabilities in class. And we’ll talk about bullying, also. The book even has built in discussion questions and projects! The topic that drives the plot (which I won’t mention here so that you More...

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Nov 04, 2010

M. rated it:

Very good book told from the perspective of a very bright, legally blind, and (I assume) autistic 12 year old boy living in a small town in Michigan. There's a mysterious notebook, a new best friend, a reappearing but unpleasant father, a disastrous fire, loving grandparents, and a lot of scientific problem solving. Why is the box important? Why is the notebook important? Who wrote it? Where was it before turning up in Zoomy's garage? Who else wants it enough to steal it? And what can Zoo More...

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Jan 25, 2011

J.Elle rated it:

I almost stopped reading this. It’s not my usual style. Zoomey finds a priceless treasure (although he doesn’t realize it), when his estranged father drops off a trunk at his grandparent’s home. Inside the trunk is one of Darwin’s original notebooks which had been stolen many years earlier. Without realizing any of this, Zoomey (who is after all only twelve) starts reading through the notebook and doing his own research. Together with a newfound friend, he starts a free publication about Da More...

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Mar 25, 2011

Brenna rated it:

This books minimalist description is the first thing that really caught my eye. The synopisis gives you just enough to hook you and I liked that. I am drawn toward well crafted suspenseful mysteries and this book didn't disappoint. This book is like an onion with many layers. At first glance this book appears to be a mystery about how a few seemingly unrelated people, events, or things come together to create a kind of domino effect that becomes the bulk of the story. But what is not indicate More...

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Aug 02, 2010

Claire rated it:

Starts out slow and once it picks up momentum is quite delightful. Zoomy was left on his grandparents doorstep to raise. They have a lovely life that they cherish. Zoomy's dad, Buckeye is a raging drunk who is in trouble a lot and has been gone all of Zoomy's life.
Zoomy is aptly named, he thinks and sees differently than anyone else and has great coping strategies for dealing with these challenges.
One day Buckeye swoops into town leaving a box with Gam and Gumps. This would be fine More...

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Dec 28, 2010

Gwen the Librarian rated it:

Balliett's first novel that isn't about Calder, Petra, and Tommy has its own unique and wonderful cast of characters, great voice and historical mystery. There is a little code-breaking to do, but not like with her other books, so this one would appeal to kids for whom the other was a little too cerebral. I loved the language in this book and I'm surprised it wasn't buzzier this year.

Zoomy is legally blind, has a bit of OCD, and lives with his grandparents. When a mysterious box com More...

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Aug 15, 2010

Handd51 rated it:

Scholastic was kind enough to include this in the bounty from their breakfast at ALA in ARC format. It is a very inbteresting story that includes kids researching Darwin and a mystery I don't want to give away. The main character is probably somewhat autistic - he makes lists constantly and is a bit obsessive. He also suppers from Pathological Myopia, which means he must wear coke bottle glasses to see anything in the distance. Balliett uses all these elements to build a strong story that sh More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Yasmin rated it:

I've just finished listening to the book and I absolutely loved it.
It has become one of my favorite books!
It is a book of magic moments and some deep thoughts.
The characters are adorable.
I can't understand why the low rating for it!
But perhaps it is because it addresses the Darwin issue.
Some people of faith don't feel comfortable around this subject, but not I.
As I believe that the source of religion and science is one. So they should support each other rather More...

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Aug 03, 2011

Beverly rated it:

I loved Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3 and The Calder Game. So of course I was eager to read this latest book. Because my to be read list is longer than I am tall, I have recently taken to listening to books on Playaway while walking around the neighborhood. I'm a firm believer in multi-tasking.

I don't know if listening to the book rather than reading it for myself made a difference, but I don't think this book is as good as the first three books.

What I li More...

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Aug 12, 2011

Kristin rated it:

When Zoomy, a young boy who is legally blind, comes to own a mysterious notebook, a series of events is set into place that change how he feels about family, friendship, and history.

I found the beginning of this book extremely entertaining. I was intrigued by Zoomy's interesting narrative style and by his description of his life. Due to his blindness, he has a unique way of seeing the world. Baillett also gives the reader glimpses into two other storylines that are related to Zoomy' More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Sherrie rated it:

This is a very poplar book at my library. I've been trying to get this book for months. Every time I went to get it, it was gone. Who ever had it last kept it. The copy was gone and the library had to order a new one. It was well worth the wait. There are several secrets (mysteries) going on in this book. And Zoomy is telling the story about all of them. The first one comes in the form of a box and what's inside it. It's an old journal written by.........I won't tell, it will ruin the story. But More...

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Oct 01, 2010

Erin rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Oct 05, 2011

Andrea rated it:

I *heart* this book. What really makes it is the main character, Zoomy. His personality shines even through his disabilities. I kept comparing this book to Moon Over Manifest. Main character is raised by family members since mother died and father left, setting in a small old town, plot based on a mystery that links throughout the entire town but is mainly solved by the children, main character has a close friend who helps solve the mystery, and there's a few more similarities that I'll leave ou More...

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Nov 21, 2010

Rebecca rated it:

Blue Balliett, who has in the past centered her mysteries on Vermeer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alexander Calder, now takes on Charles Darwin. Her protagonist is a boy with OCD, an unusual choice, and she's clearly done a lot of research into how OCD people think and behave. I think she chose that because from what I understand of her information on Darwin, he was also OCD. In any case, I always enjoy her works because the characters are quirky, unusual, and sympathetic, and I love mysteries with More...

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Dec 24, 2010

Cathy rated it:

Another delightful mystery by Blue Balliett, this one set in a tiny town on the west coast of Michigan. I mean to stop by there on my next trip to Chicago. Here the characters are even more quirky than in the Chicago series and the story unfolds in different layers. We don't really know what the mystery is and Zoomy, an endearing boy who was left as a baby on the porch of the two most wonderful grandparents in the world. Zoomy's father is a nasty crook and Zoomy was the name of his invisible More...

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Oct 10, 2010

Becky rated it:

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of 2 children who find each other in friendship and intellectual pursuit, both of whom are out of the main stream types of kids. As they work together to solve the mystery of the notebook, various subplots unfold and help the reader to know and understand these two, and yes...to root for them. Balliet's characters are always memorable and interesting. I particularly loved the grandparents, Gram and Gumps. The small town was well rendered and made the reader long t More...

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Sep 09, 2010

Christina rated it:

The Danger Box is the third middle school/YA book that I've read this year that relates to the life of Charles Darwin. This book introduces two new kid sleuths: Zoomy, who suffers from myopia and probably OCD, and Lorrol, a brainy girl who is proud of the fact that her name is a palindrome. Zoomy and Lorrol end up immersed in a mystery involving a lost notebook of Darwin. I'm not sure that I liked this book as much as Chasing Vermeer or The Wright Three, but it's close. This book felt a bit More...

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Sep 10, 2010

Kelly rated it:

I loved Zoomy. If he was a real kid, I would love to know him. He's a 12 year old with OCD and Pathological Myopia. Thanks to his grandparents, he's learned how to cope with his anxiety by making lists and has learned to see the world in his own way. I loved his descriptions and his grandparents' sayings. It added so much to the book.

The story was fun and a page turner (Yay for short chapters!). The Gas Gazette was cute and fun to read, but also a little too history-lesson-ish at ti More...

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