Splendors and Glooms
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Book Overview
"A brooding, Dickensian novel with a touch of fantasy and a glimmer of hope. . . . As mysterious and timeless as a fairy tale." -- Booklist (starred review) Laura Amy Schlitz's Newbery Honor-winning Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and brilliant and bewitching storytelling. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by the master puppeteer Grisini's act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, his orphaned assistants Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. Fleeing London, Lizzie and Parse find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it's too late.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0763669261
ISBN13:9780763669263
Release Date:January 2014
Publisher:Candlewick Press (MA)
Length:384 Pages
Weight:0.95 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.6" x 8.8"
Age Range:10 to 14 years
Grade Range:Grades 5 to 9
Customer Reviews
1 rating
So vivid and enthralling!
Published by Aimée M , 2 years ago
It didn't take me long to really get into this book. The author really took their time to fill it with background and details that seem so fitting for an era none of us have witnessed ourselves. From the reality of foundling children, working for spare coin and food, to the gilded loneliness of a wealthy (yet solitary) child. If it were a tapestry, no stitch could be found missing.
The characters were so fleshed out, I can recall them in my minds eye as clearly as I can remember some of my own, very real, relatives. I found myself genuinely caring what might happen to any of them (except maybe one, which I'm sure we're meant to dislike lol). So much so that I could only put the book down for the duration of a night's sleep.
If you're looking for a book that will all but transport you to a different world, one filled with magic and struggle, intrigue and charm, then this is the book for you!
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