I know Snyder can write better then this. The story is good but, not great as the other books I have read by Snyder. The beginning started out good. Then towardes the middle it got weak and the end kind of made up for it. ( )

This wasn't a bad book, but it started way too slowly. The plot didn't really pick up until halfway through. After page 100 it got a lot better, though. I did like the way we see Harleigh grow throughout the book. All in all, this wasn't one of Snyder's best books. ( )

Harleigh, a six-year-old-sized 12 year old, lives in a tower at Weatherby mansion. He's bored and annoyed with life until a spritely girl, Allegra, shows him the wonders of his own home. Two mysteries surface: who is Allegra and why is she so interested in life at Weatherby, and where is the famous Weatherby treasure? (note to self: uncompelling conflict: endless pages of kids exploring and hoping not to get caught...) ( )

I felt very blah about this one. Actually, I had second thoughts before I started as to whether or not I actually wanted to read it. I don't know what it was exactly; I guess there wasn't enough to the story for me. Harleigh is a descendant of an odd family, the Weatherbys, and they live in a huge old house. One day he meets a girl, Allegra, who has alledgedly flown over the very tall fence around the house. They become friends, sort of, and she is very curious about the house. At the same time, there is some sort of treasure hunting going on. I guess the description makes it sound like there's a lot going on, but there really wasn't. Pretty disappointing. And the story with Allegra very much fell flat at the end. ( )

Harleigh Weatherby the Fourth is 12 years old and has some big shoes to fill. Actually, that's part of the problem. Harleigh is so short, that before he started homeschooling with a private tutor, the kids at school used to call him "Hardly" as in "Hardly there at all!"
Harleigh is a direct descendent of the first Harleigh Weatherby and therefore has the "privilege" of living in Weatherby Mansion. Most the time Harleigh 4 isn't so sure it's really a privilege. His dad is gone all the time, and his Aunt Adelaide has all kinds of rules everyone who lives in the mansion must follow.
Harleigh's unhappiness and boredom send him outside, where he meets a girl named Allegra who is trespassing on the property. Rather than turn her in, Harleigh and Allegra form an unusual friendship and find themselves banding together to discover who is trying to find and steal the treasure rumored to be hidden in the mansion.
This isn't a must read, but it definitely held my interest (I read it in two sittings). Harleigh is a likable boy and Allegra is more than a touch mysterious. It's a little bit of adventure and mystery rolled into an easy and quick read. ( )