Ring of McAllister: A Score-Raising Mystery Featuring 1,046 Must-Know SAT Vocabulary Words

Bibliography: Marantz, R. (2003). Ring of McAllister: a score-raising mystery featuring 1,046 must-know SAT vocabulary words. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Genre: Mystery

Reading Level/Interest Age: 16-18

Reader's Annotation: Something isn't right in the cozy little town of Red Fork, PA. Unravel the mystery of the MacAllister mansion as you effortlessly learn over 1,000 words that often appear on the SAT.

Author: A graduate of Cornell University, Robert Marantz is a former a project manager for Kaplan, Inc., co-wrote the best-selling Higher Score series of test preparation software, and has also authored several screenplays and television scripts. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Plot Summary: "17-year-old Will Lassiter has lived his entire life in the peaceful comfort of Red Fork. When his new neighbor, Dr. Octavio Perez, suddenly disappears, Will uncovers a mystery that merges the present with the past – a deadly secret that's been locked away for nearly a century. That's when things start to get really strange.

Unlike other SAT preparation books, The Ring of McAllister incorporates key SAT vocabulary works right into the story. So rather than memorize lists and definitions, you learn the words in context. SAT words are defined in a glossary at the back of the book. It's a pain-free way to build your vocabulary – and to score higher on the test!" (back cover)

Critical Evaluation: The idea of this book was appealing to me even before reading it, though I was sure how well it could be executed. My reaction after reading it is equally mixed. The attempt to work in the vocabulary words makes some of the text sound contrived. It is obvious that many of the details of the story were included merely to give an excuse to use a certain word. Yet, even when a vocabulary word does not appear, much of the language is stilted and awkward. There were frequently turns of phrase that I don't think anyone actually uses anymore, if they ever did. Perhaps Marantz just doesn't have the knack for writing without coming off as archaic and slightly pedantic. In addition, I have my doubts about whether the meaning or nuance of most of the vocabulary words can be deduced from their contexts. I am familiar with most of them, and I could not even determine exactly what they were supposed to mean from reading the passages. If it were not for the glossary included as an appendix, I doubt the novel would have much value as a vocabulary-boosting exercise.

The mystery itself, while not an edge-of-the-seat thriller, proved to be mildly interesting and entertaining right up until the last fifty or so pages. At that point, the mystery is resolved, and the novel collapses into a sort of paranormal tale about ghosts and revenge. The hints at haunting and malevolent spirits that permeate the mystery were much more frightening than the physical battle that ensues at the novel's conclusion. This bit seemed farcical. Oddly enough, this section was also riddled with typos, leaving me to wonder if Marantz simply got tired of working on the story and sort of slapped something together at the end.

Curriculum Ties:

Book Talk Ideas: none

Challenge Issues: none

Why was this text included in this project? I was interested in the idea of using fiction to purposefully and directly teach vocabulary and test preparation. I also thought this would add a new element to my project.