The Velvet Room

"The Velvet Room" paints a realistic portrait of migrant workers during the Depression, with some elements of suspense thrown in. The story is told through the eyes of Robin, a young teenager whose displaced, impoverished family has been travelling from place to place, doing whatever seasonal work they can get just to survive. As the story begins, Robin's father, who by now is in fragile health, has taken a job on the estate of the wealthy McCurdys. The job might be permanent if her father's health holds out and his work is acceptable, and the children get to attend school and start putting down some roots, but Robin is hesitant to get too deeply attached to the area for fear that her father will lose the job and her family will just have to move on again. She also has to pitch in when needed on mundane tasks such as hand-pitting the entire apricot harvest when it is ripe. Robin loves to read and think, loves beauty, and like all teens, loves privacy, but in her daily life she finds very little of any of those things.

Eventually, Robin goes exploring and finds a mysterious old mansion, the Palmeras House. She makes friends with a local hermit (a "good witch" type) who gives her a key to a secret entrance into Palmeras House, on the condition that she not tell where she got it. With the key, Robin can access a secret tunnel door leading into the "velvet room" of the title - a beautiful old round library room with velvet drapes. Robin is thrilled, because now when she needs a break, she can sneak off to the secret room, close all the drapes, and read and think to her heart's content. But soon she begins to wonder why the room, which is still full of valuable things, was abandoned and left "as is", and how the hermit lady fits into the picture. There are hints that the house is haunted and Robin begins to look into the mystery. Along the way, Robin makes friends with the rich McCurdys' daughter, Gwen, and Robin must also deal with a sinister migrant boy named Fred who makes trouble for her. At the climax of the book, Robin's investigations put her in life-threatening danger, reveal the mystery of the Velvet Room, and lead to a happy resolution for her family.

Although ghosts and hauntings are briefly discussed, this book is not very heavy on the supernatural elements. The story is mainly interesting in that it paints a vivid picture of Depression-era life and the changes it wrought on a family that falls down the economic ladder. It's clear that Robin and her family are not your average migrant workers; Robin loves to read and plays the piano skillfully. I enjoyed reading and re-reading this book as a young teen, but gave it only four stars rather than five because it built the reader's expectations up to solve a "mystery" that in the end seemed to be not that big of a deal and rather peripheral to the main story about Robin, her family, and her interactions with the McCurdys and Fred. Despite that flaw, it's still a very good book.

The description when I grabbed the book made it seem like the big mystery of the book was about the Velvet Room and it wasn't. The book was almost a coming of age type book, almost a mystery, and almost a memoir. Either way, I thought it was a nice read. I won't say great but it was a pleasant enough of a way to pass some time. Would make a great teen or preteen read. Pure G rated

Like other reviewers, I first read this as a young child. It's such a beautiful story that I reread it every year. My copy is worn and tattered, and I'll probably get it on my kindle. Robin is a young girl in the Depression who's family, including her parents, her two sisters and two brothers, lives in their Model T, working their way place to place. They finally get some semi-permanent work in California. She's sent with her siblings to work in a peach pitting shed. When she gets free time, she explores and finds an abandoned house with one secret, lovely room. I loved Robin as a child, because she was a dreamer, always reading and just needing something to herself to have. This book is a wonderful glimpse into the Depression from a child's point of view, with interesting characters, a twist to the plot and haunting descriptions of the life in a small village. And Brigdet, you'll find, is one of the most endearing characters you'll ever 'meet'. I definitely recommend this book for all ages.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder is well known among us baby boomers for her magical novels such as "The Changeling" and this, "The Velvet Room".

Robin, a child who loves to read, has the misfortune to be part of a family of migrant workers, wandering from place to place in search of work. Robin herself "wanders off" a lot, and when her family settles in at the McCurdy Ranch, she finds an old house with a neglected but fabulous room full of BOOKS!

The room, lined with velvet curtains (hence the title) becomes Robin's refuge, until one day she has to choose between it and her family.

If you've read it, you already know what a wonderful story it is. If not, I won't go any farther because you really should read it for yourself!

I recently tracked down a copy at the public library and re-read it. The VELVET ROOM is still magical, in spite of passive verbs 'was' and 'have been' commonly found in books from the 1960's, and it remains one of my favorites.
Author Zilpha Snyder writes about a girl named Robin, insecure after her father's struggle to remain employed and the family's subsequent traveling from place to place to find food and shelter. They end up at a new location near an abandoned old mansion, the Palmeras House, where Robin escapes for some quiet time away from her four noisy siblings. She discovers a tunnel that leads into the mansion, and inside she finds no furnishings except in one small room--a circular alcove in a tower. Here's an excerpt:
"From that first glimpse, from the first minute, it was more than a room--more even than the most beautiful room Robin had ever seen. Her hands shook on the doorknob, and the shaking didn't come from fear or cold. Her trembling hands were only an echo of something deeper that had been strangely shaken by that first sight of the Velvet Room....
"A thick pale rug cushioned her bare feet as she moved forward and turned very slowly in a circle. The walls of the room were paneled in dark wood. All along one wall the bright bindings of books contrasted with the wood. The books went on and on.... On the opposite side of the room were four tall narrow windows. Above the windows were arches of colored glass. Sunlight, streaming in through the arches made rainbows on the rug.
"...It was there in the alcove that she first began to call it the Velvet Room. There were heavy drapes of dark red velvet at the windows...when all the drapes were closed, there was a full circle of velvet. Robin pulled all the drapes shut, and then sat down and looked around.
"It was a wonderful, cozy place. A lot of people must have sat there to read in all the years since Palmeras House had been built. There must have been other children who had liked the wide window seats with their deep soft pillows. They probably took their books there and pulled the drapes shut, just as Robin had, and felt safe and comfortable and hidden. If they were a little younger, they probably pretended they were birds high in a nest, or maybe princesses in a magic tower.
"It wasn't until then that [Robin] began to wonder about the Velvet Room...she suddenly wanted an explanation very badly. Why would a room be left like this, beautifully furnished and full of valuable things? There must be a reason.... Why was it there at all--a Velvet Room in a silent empty old house?" (p.79-83)
Later there's a life-threatening scene, and the suspense and magic are all there. I read VELVET ROOM when I was a child, and the memory of it has lingered with me almost 30 years later. It's one of my all-time favorites. Track down this book if you can, and read it. And if the publisher is listening, please re-issue the VELVET ROOM.
~Kimn Swenson Gollnick...

I remember actually writing the author when I was about nine and she wrote back! I was so moved by the plight of the peole - not that the book is preachy at all; it just makes you care so much about the main character. I loved that she found a special place, and that her choices were made out of the goodness of her heart. It's just a fabulous Young Adult book and I hope - seeing the price it's listed for her - that they will reissue it one day. The author totally reveals what it's like to be a child and to be a miagrant worker - a great read for anyone who wants to experience what someone else has lived!

I think all introverted, bookish youngsters like myself long for a secret place to get away from their family and others who do not understand them. In this book Robin, middle daughter in a large, poor family during the Depression, finds just such a place in the Velvet Room. This is Robin's name for the library in the old McCurdy mansion on Las Palmeras, the California rancho where her family is working picking apricots. Robin loves the library with its precious historical artifacts and wide window seats hidden behind thick velvet curtains. Robin hides from reality in the Velvet Room until she reaches a crossroads and realizes what is most important to her. This book was, and still is a favorite. Can't recommend it highly enough.

This book captured my attention when I was very young. I saw Robin's velvet room as the ultimate escape from a difficult and unfulfilling life. It came at a time that I, too, needed escape, leading me down a greatly-needed avenue of relief. Better still it began a lifelong love of reading. I would highly recommend this book to anyone needing a brief vacation from reality.

After years of thinking about this book, read lovingly so many times I lost count, I finally decided to look for it online. My first attempt was a success, and I can hardly wait to dig into it again. Like most of the reviewers on this site, I read the book when I was in the 5th or 6th grade and it made an indelible impression. I also read Shadow Castle over and over, and I'm delighted to see that it, too, is available (I'm getting it at the same time). The Velvet Room, however, was so...grounded and based in reality, it is by far the better of the two. Books as time machines...nothing better!

This story has it all - mystery, history, heroine, prejudice, charm and warmth. Robin is a true heroine who emerges from depair to triumph in this complex story about conflict and values in the depression. I read this story as a girl and now recommend it to children and parents I meet as a parent volunteer in various reading programs. It will endure the test of time. I plead with the publisher to release it again.

I was an adult before I discovered this book. Recently I read a library copy and then I knew I had to have my own copy so I could read it over and over.
I love this book because it's heartwarming and teaches a valuable lesson. Yes, everyone should have a "velvet room" that they can escape to when they're troubled. But this book teaches a more important truth that most everyone can benefit from. I certainly did.

In 5th grade, the Scholastic Book Mobile came to my school where I read The Velvet Room. Although we couldn't afford many luxuries, my parents allowed me to buy this book so I could read it again (and again) which I did! I remember being so thrilled to find in Robin, a girl who could have been me and how I enjoyed finding the velvet room with her. Although I lost the book during a move in 7th grade, I always remembered it and wished to read it again. But, as 44 years have passed, I couldn't remember the name. Then, after searching for the Pink Room or the Pink Tower or other dead ends, the name of the book suddendly popped into my mind like a miracle! I can't wait to join Robin again. This is a great book for readers of all ages who remember being young and alone and needing to find a secret place.

After years of thinking about this book, read lovingly so many times I lost count, I finally decided to look for it online. My first attempt was a success, and I can hardly wait to dig into it again. Like most of the reviewers on this site, I read the book when I was in the 5th or 6th grade and it made an indelible impression. I also read Shadow Castle over and over, and I'm delighted to see that it, too, is available (I'm getting it at the same time). The Velvet Room, however, was so...grounded and based in reality, it is by far the better of the two. Books as time machines...nothing better!

This story has it all - mystery, history, heroine, prejudice, charm and warmth. Robin is a true heroine who emerges from depair to triumph in this complex story about conflict and values in the depression. I read this story as a girl and now recommend it to children and parents I meet as a parent volunteer in various reading programs. It will endure the test of time. I plead with the publisher to release it again.

I was an adult before I discovered this book. Recently I read a library copy and then I knew I had to have my own copy so I could read it over and over.
I love this book because it's heartwarming and teaches a valuable lesson. Yes, everyone should have a "velvet room" that they can escape to when they're troubled. But this book teaches a more important truth that most everyone can benefit from. I certainly did.

In 5th grade, the Scholastic Book Mobile came to my school where I read The Velvet Room. Although we couldn't afford many luxuries, my parents allowed me to buy this book so I could read it again (and again) which I did! I remember being so thrilled to find in Robin, a girl who could have been me and how I enjoyed finding the velvet room with her. Although I lost the book during a move in 7th grade, I always remembered it and wished to read it again. But, as 44 years have passed, I couldn't remember the name. Then, after searching for the Pink Room or the Pink Tower or other dead ends, the name of the book suddendly popped into my mind like a miracle! I can't wait to join Robin again. This is a great book for readers of all ages who remember being young and alone and needing to find a secret place.

This book had a significant impact on my life. To this day I think of the Velvet Room as a safe haven from a sometimes scary world. The book speaks to all the awkwardness of growing up, gently providing support and hope. The heroine was so brave and adventurous, she was one of my first role models. I am surprized and saddened that this book is not currently available.

I bought this during my summer break hoping it would be a good read, and that's exactly what I got! really enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone from the preteen(8-12) to teen years (13-17). Its like Coraline went back in time as someone else. Also a great historical fiction book for those time-traveling adventurers out there...

This book was my very favorite, first read ages ago when I was 11 or 12. I related to the main character since I was a member of large family that struggled somewhat to make ends meet. This book validated the feelings I had, needs for privacy, comfort, and an outlet for the imagination. It also teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of family, and finding satisfaction within one's situation in life. I think of this book as a timeless classic, to provide enjoyment and inspiration to every generation.

I still remember going to the library on the last day of 4th grade, 30+ years ago and there sat The Velvet Room -- brand new. I was the first person to check it out. Like everyone else, I re-read it several times growing up, and its been fun to see how many others loved this book. I wanted to get a copy to send to my niece for Christmas and was dismayed to learn it is inexplicably out of print. I feel fortunate that I still have a battered paperback from childhood!

This is one of those rare childrens books (probably most interesting to girls who are 9-12 years of age) that creates a world of imagination and wonder, without fear or violence. Thirty years later I still remember the fascination I felt with this book. I want very badly for my own daughter to be able to read this wonderful story.

I, like many others, enjoyed this book when I was a child. It is a book that I have always remembered and I wish that I could find a copy of it for my granddaughter. I don't understand why they don't publish it again. They could surely sell many copies and help many little girls learn the magic of reading.