Book Review: The Peculiar

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

 Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.

In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.

One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.

First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.

Part murder mystery, part gothic fantasy, part steampunk adventure, The Peculiar is Stefan Bachmann's riveting, inventive, and unforgettable debut novel.
 

I loved the world created by Bachmann, it is so rich, vivid, and imaginative. You could really feel how the faery and Victorian worlds came together in a clockworky, steampunky way. I also enjoyed the characters and the mystery surrounding them. Mr Jelliby was so much fun, and Bartholomew was so passionate.

However, I found the book dragged a bit and was slow to get into some of the action. There also seemed to be a lot of running around sometimes. There was enough intrigue and peril, though to keep the ready happy. There was a nice set up for book 2, which promises to be exciting.

Book Review: The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade

Book: The Dark Deeps (The Hunchback Assignments #2) by Arthur Slade, 2010 by Wendy Lamb Books, 316 pages.

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A fantastic Steampunk adventure in the deeps

Transforming his appearance and stealing secret documents from the French is all in a day’s work for fourteen-year-old Modo, a British secret agent. But his latest mission—to uncover the underwater mystery of something called the Ictíneo—seems impossible. There are rumors of a sea monster and a fish as big as a ship. French spies are after it, and Mr. Socrates, Modo’s master, wants to find it first. Modo and his fellow secret agent, Octavia, begin their mission in New York City, then take a steamship across the North Atlantic. During the voyage, Modo uncovers an astounding secret.

The Dark Deeps, the second book in Arthur Slade’s Hunchback Assignments series, is set in a fascinating Steampunk Victorian world. Modo’s underwater adventures and his encounters with the young French spy Colette Brunet, the fearless Captain Monturiol, and the dreaded Clockwork Guild guarantee a gripping read filled with danger, suspense, and brilliant inventions.

My Thoughts: 

This is a great series for kids - it has so much they will enjoy. There's interesting characters, mystery, adventure, cool steampunk ships...

Modo's mission this time was to find out about a mysterious underwater sea monster called Icitneo. It turns out that Icitneo is actually an ingenious submarine ship built by Captain Monturiol with an amazing mission. However, the devious Clockwork Guild is also after the ship.


I was happy to see Modo back again. He is such a loveable character in his innocence, emotional vulnerability, and strength. He is an exceedingly ugly hunchbacked character around the age of fourteen who can change his appearance at will and who has been trained as a British secret agent.


Modo is partnered up with Octavia, another great character. She is self reliant, feisty, and able to take care of herself. 

Slade is a great story teller with a wonderful imagination. Some of the ideas and evil plans in this book were ingenious. I also love how he pulls on the reader's heart strings, especially where Modo is concerned, making him the most human character of them all.

I think kids will really enjoy this series and the stories of perilous adventures will keep them turning the pages.



Here is the book trailer from YouTube:

Middle Grade Monday: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Today I decided to join in Shannon Messenger's Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday.  If you click on the link, you can go to her blog and check out the list of other bloggers who are participating and read their reviews, interviews, contests, etc, all to do with middle grade books. 

Book:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Scholastic Inc, 2007, 544 pages.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Caldecott Honor artist Brian Selznick's lavishly illustrated debut novel is a cinematic tour de force not to be missed! ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Book Review: The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

Book:  The Hunchback Assignments (The Hunchback Assignments #1) by Arthur Slade, Harper Trophy Canada, 2009, 275 pages, middle school steampunk.

Source:  Library.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A gripping new series combines Steampunk, spying, and a fantastic Victorian London.

The mysterious Mr. Socrates rescues Modo, a child in a traveling freak show. Modo is a hunchback with an amazing ability to transform his appearance, and Mr. Socrates raises him in isolation as an agent for the Permanent Association, a spy agency behind Brittania’s efforts to rule the empire. At 14, Modo is left on the streets of London to fend for himself. When he encounters Octavia Milkweed, another Association agent, the two uncover a plot by the Clockword Guild behind the murders of important men. Furthermore, a mad scientist is turning orphan children into automatons to further the goals of the Guild. Modo and Octavia journey deep into the tunnels under London and discover a terrifying plot against the British government. It’s up to them to save their country.

My Thoughts: 
This is a fun steampunk novel for the middle school age group.  There is so much adventure and imagination in this book that is is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers.  

Book Review: The Atomic Weight of Secrets

Book:  The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black (Young Inventors Guild Trilogy #1) by Eden Unger Bowditch, Bancroft Press, 2011, 339 pages.

Source:  Received egalley from the publisher via NetGalley.

Synopsis:  (from Goodreads):
In 1903, five truly brilliant young inventors, the children of the world's most important scientists, went about their lives and their work as they always had.

But all that changed the day the men in black arrived.

They arrived to take twelve-year-old Jasper Modest and his six-year-old sister, Lucy, he with his remarkable creations and she with her perfect memory from their London, England home to a place across the ocean they'd never seen before.

They arrived to take nine-year-old Wallace Banneker, last in a long line of Africa-descended scientists, from his chemistry, his father, and his New York home to a life he'd never imagined.

Twelve-year-old Noah Canto-Sagas, already missing his world-famous and beloved mother, was taken from Toronto, Canada, carrying only his clothes, his violin, and his remarkable mind.

And thirteen-year-old Faye Vigyanveta, the genius daughter of India's wealthiest and most accomplished scientists, was removed by force from her life of luxury.

From all across the world, they've been taken to mysterious Sole Manner Farm, and a beautiful but isolated schoolhouse in Dayton, Ohio, without a word from their parents as to why.   Not even the wonderful schoolteacher they find there, Miss Brett, can explain it. She can give them love and care, but she can t give them answers.

Things only get stranger from there. What is the book with no pages Jasper and Lucy find in their mother's underwear drawer, and why do the men in black want it so badly?

How is it all the children have been taught the same bizarre poem and yet no other rhymes or stories their entire lives?

And why haven't their parents tried to contact them?

Whatever the reasons, to brash, impetuous Faye, the situation is clear: They and their parents have been kidnapped by these terrible men in black, and the only way they're going to escape and rescue their parents is by completing the invention they didn't even know they were all working on an invention that will change the world forever.

But what if the men in black aren't trying to harm the children? What if they're trying to protect them?
And if they're trying to protect them, from what?

An amazing story about the wonders of science and the still greater wonders of friendship, The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Mysterious Men in Black , the first book of the Young Inventors Guild trilogy, is a truly original novel. Young readers will forever treasure Eden Unger Bowditch's funny, inventive, poignant, and wonderfully fun fiction debut.

My Thoughts:
I was anxious to read this book, mostly because the cover and the title drew me in.  I love the dual title and this is carried through in the book with the chapter headings. The cover is also beautiful and intriguing.

The book itself is full of science and creative inventions and it is interesting to read a steampunk novel for kids.  There is adventure and tension, with the kids thinking up smart solutions to problems, but still from childlike points of view.  I like how they did not seem more sophisticated than they were.  No matter how intelligent the kids are, they still come to childlike conclusions.

I did enjoy reading this book, it is quirky and different, but it is also a bit difficult.  There are times when it is fast paced, but also when it is quite slow, as the book alternates between what is happening in the present and the past of these five children. 

I loved the characters, especially the kids and how authentic they felt.  They are so smart and sure in how smart they are.  I also liked watching the friendship grow between the five children and how they developed as people.  I felt invested in all five of them.

The men in black were a fun addition, with their outrageous costumes and bizarre behaviour.   There is almost a Lemony Snicket feel to the book, with the crazy men in black, the quirky sense of humour and a mysterious plot overshadowing the entire book.

This book set so much up and left so much unanswered and I will certainly be interested in reading the next installment.  Also, the website for the book is a fun one (click on the book title above), as it has information and games.  I am sure that middle school kids who are interested in steampunk and science would enjoy this book.