From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
Fabulous story with interesting plot, interesting characters and lots of action. The settings, smog-filled London and then the clear-aired countryside, are described in intricate detail. The characters do learn and grow during the course of the story. And the children mostly have to help themselves with only minimal adult help or interference. The writing is very good, not condescending at all, with some characters speaking very formal English, and one character speaking something like a Cockney
...more
I could not put this book down. Laura Amy Schlitz has created a rich, evocative Victorian gothic that has wonderful characters with just the right mix of magic and spookiness. When wealthy Clara sees master puppeteer Gaspare Grisini performing in the park, she is so taken with the puppets that she convinces her parents that the puppets must be the entertainment for her birthday party. Grisini arrives at the household accompanied by the two orphans in his care, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. The live
...more
May 20, 2012
Danielle
marked it as to-read
