What a fun story with magic and orphans and a splendidly evil puppet master-Grisini! The witch got on my nerves a bit but everything else was great.Summary: When Clara vanishes after the puppeteer Grisini and two orphaned assistants were at her twelfth birthday party, suspicion of kidnapping chases the trio away from London and soon the two orphans are caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it is too late. I think that Charles Dickens has so heavily influenced our collective view of Victorian England that it is almost impossible to write a book about the era without mimicking him. Or, possibly, this book was meant as a sort of tribute to him. The book has an interesting plot involving a magician with a magic watch that turns children into puppets, a witch with a cursed fire opal and the three children who are fighting their influence. It has nice gothic touches. The language is quite sophisticated and is probably best for fourth and fifth graders who like the Golden Compass trilogy, etc. I'm not quite sure there's enough action for middle schoolers.
What do You think about Splendors And Glooms (2012)?
Fantastic narration by Davina Porter. Story dragged at times and was too neatly tied up in the end.
—sam
Quite odd. Reminded me of the Thirteenth Tale somehow. Recommend for stronger readers in class.
—brittsteele92
