Splendors and Glooms

Locations
Call Number: R Newbery Honor 2013, Y Fiction / Schlitz, Laura Amy, Kids Book / Fiction / Spooky / Schlitz, Laura Amy
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Kids Reference 0-week checkout	R Newbery Honor 2013	0-week checkout	Library Use Only
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Schlitz, Laura Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Schlitz, Laura Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Schlitz, Laura Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Schlitz, Laura Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Kids Books 4-week checkout	Kids Book / Fiction / Spooky / Schlitz, Laura Amy	4-week checkout	On Shelf

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.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
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Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Dark but wonderful submitted by klickitat on February 10, 2013, 10:30am This book won't be for everyone. It's often very dark and the villains are irredeemably bad. But for fans of Victorian Gothic novels it'll be a pip.

Reads like a better plotted, child's version of The Night Circus.

Great, but maybe a bit disturbing for some kids submitted by Jan Wolter on June 17, 2013, 9:12pm I suppose this is classified as youth fiction because it is about young people, but at contains some rather dark and frightening images of children reduced to extreme helplessness that could easily trouble a sensitive child (I like to imagine there are still sensitive children in this day and age).

Three children fall under the influence of an evil sorcerer/puppeteer and must rely on themselves and each other to survive. If you wanted you could fit the children neatly into standard cliches - poor little rich girl, plucky orphan, etc - but that never turns out to be a bother because the characters are so well-developed and sympathetic that they never seem like cliches. The story takes place in a rather Dickensian universe, but is fresh and original. A very satisfying read.