110 pages • 3 hours read
Varian JohnsonThe Parker Inheritance
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 28-30Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 28 Summary
Candice goes over to Brandon’s to try to get him to come with her to Vickers Park; it’s the day before the Juneteenth Festival so it will be easier to look around. Brandon is practicing basketball in the back and tells Candice about how he usually has Quincy helping him by playing defense.
Afterwards, Candice and Brandon get Tori to drive them over to the park. They walk around looking for clues; Candice reflects on her grandmother, feeling that Abigail “was not crazy… was not a fool” (176). On the other side of the court, Brandon finds a plaque for Siobhan Washington that says, “She Loved All” (177), which is a direct quote from the letter. They don’t know what it means yet, but Brandon urges Candice to finish The Westing Game because it will help her figure out the clues.
Chapter 29 Summary
Back in 1957, Siobhan is deeply in love with Reggie Bradley, a smart, athletic young man with whom she could always have an “interesting” conversation (179). Most of their courtship takes place in the park, where they trade riddles. On Siobhan’s birthday, Reggie has given her a handmade bracelet that she wears every day.
Siobhan and Reggie must see each other secretly to keep their relationship hidden from Coach Dub. As they talk in the park, Siobhan jokingly says she is going to bring Reggie a picnic with Cokes next time; Reggie gets very upset, saying he doesn’t “like Coca-Cola” (182), referencing his interaction with Chip the week before. Before they leave the park, they talk about their plans for the future, with Siobhan urging Reggie to go to college, even if it means going to the military first. Reggie asks her before they part to recite “that poem again” (184), and Siobhan begins Langston Hughes’s “I, Too, Sing America.”
Chapter 30 Summary
When Candice finally finishes The Westing Game, Brandon is very excited to talk about “how it applies to the letter” (185), explaining that “most of the information you need to solve the puzzle is provided right at the beginning of the story” (186), which must be the same as the letter. Brandon has realized that the clues contained in the letter are numbered, but not in the traditional sense: “F-O-R-“ actually means “F-O-U-R” (186). They are able to decipher that there are four numbered clues in the letter, realizing that they have solved clues one, two, and four, but are missing three: “She was truly greater than the sum of her parts” (187), meaning that they need to “add up her parents” (187).
Stymied by this latest discovery, they begin attempting different ways of thinking about clue three by talking about tennis scoring or by adding up dates in different combinations. Finally, they come to the conclusion that March 14th, one of the important dates, is also Pi Day, and in one photo, Leanne Washington is holding a pie. Candice and Brandon are enthused about this finding and are ready to start connecting the clues all together.
Chapters 28-30 Analysis
Candice’s emotions and thoughts continue to reveal her true character. As she and Brandon get closer to the center of the puzzle, she focuses less on her parents’ divorce but is still haunted by feelings about her grandmother. Many people have criticized Candice’s grandmother, which is one of Candice’s primary motivations to solve the mystery. If she can solve it, she can prove that her grandmother wasn’t actually “crazy” (176). This illustrates one of Candice’s primary character traits: she is very caring towards others. This is similarly shown through her interactions with Brandon, whom she cares for very much. She pays attention and thinks about his relationship with Quincy, trying to be as good of a friend to him as Quincy is. In addition, she works hard to understand how Brandon thinks and feels. For a twelve-year-old, Candice is remarkably perceptive about other people, which is an important part of her capacity to problem solve.
Siobhan and Reggie’s relationship is a critical part of the plot of The Parker Inheritance and is shown in depth for the first time in Chapter 29. To many other people, Reggie appears to be a poor athlete, but Siobhan knows the real Reggie, who discusses books like Invisible Man and Native Son with her (179). He is also gifted at solving riddles and spends time just talking with her in the park. Coach Dub’s insistence on forbidding their relationship only heightens Siobhan’s determination to continue seeing Reggie; she wears his bracelet every day as proof of this. It is clear that the difference in Siobhan and Reggie’s backgrounds and life circumstances will impact their relationship in the future, though it isn’t yet clear how that will happen.
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By Varian Johnson
