Starred review from January 4, 2016
In this intricately plotted thriller from Fox (Sirens), the stalwart Bateson children have more to fear from Lady Eleanor, headmistress of their new boarding school in Scotland, than from the bombs of the 1940 London Blitz. Evacuated with two younger siblings to live in a distant relative’s castle, 12-year-old Katherine has only her father’s parting words, her great-aunt’s parting gift of a silver heirloom chatelaine, and fellow student Peter for support in a terrifying battle against evil forces set loose 200 years earlier. Warnings of frightening nighttime noises and disappearing children quickly come too close for comfort, and the quartet’s certainty of a Nazi threat sets them on a trail of discovery and misdirection. Initially grounded in logic and her father’s teachings, Kat’s faith crumbles against disconcerting evidence that, in this castle, magic is real, nothing is what it seems, and a Voldemort-like villainess must be destroyed. True-to-life protagonists, the skillful interweaving of flashbacks and the chatelaine motif, a masterful final encounter, and a satisfying denouement attest to Fox’s craftsmanship. Ages 10–up. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Starred review from December 15, 2015
During the Blitz, 12-year-old Londoner Kat, along with two younger siblings and an American boy, is sent to a distant relative's Scottish castle, where they confront evils both old and contemporary. Though Lady Eleanor claims to be starting an academy in her castle and has hired faculty to attend to the curriculum, it's soon clear that none are what they claim to be. The old castle keep is burned out, and the newer part seems to have weird twists and turns, secret doors and strange goings-on, including several ghostly children. Clues multiply early on that Eleanor is the same woman for whom the creepy, unnamed village magister has replaced living parts one by one over decades, each given in payment for a charm for a child's soul. Kat's father--now away working for MI6--is a watchmaker, and Kat has his gift for numbers, gears, and puzzles. Witchy magic, Nazi menace, and clockwork all come into play, along with an Enigma machine and spies for both the Allies and the Nazis seeking occult sources of power or protection. After the breathtaking climax, various threads of the story are tied up in a drawing-room denouement in which the characters decide to dispose of toxic magical artifacts rather carelessly--though in a way that invites anticipation (and fortuitously leaves room for sequels). An original, clever, page-turning adventure. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)
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December 1, 2015
Gr 6 Up-The Nazis have begun bombing London. Katherine Bateson's father is sent off on a highly secret mission, and her mother decides that Katherine and her siblings should go to the Scottish highlands to escape the dangers of the German bombers. Before she goes, Katherine's great-aunt Margaret gives her a farewell gift: Margaret's chatelaine, an ornament worn by women. As the Batesons and other children arrive in Scotland at Lord Gregor's manor, recently converted to a school by the lady of the house, Katherine immediately realizes something is amiss. She and the others fear that a Nazi spy has infiltrated the castle, and they decide that he must be stopped. Then Lady Eleanor turns out to be more than she seems, and the lady's chatelaine is revealed to be magical. Katherine also learns that she and the other children are in grave danger. Fox presents readers with a wonderfully paced, exciting story with enough twists to keep the pages turning. VERDICT The strong female lead and adventure on every page will keep any reader entertained from the first page to the last.-Wayne R. Cherry, Jr., First Baptist Academy Library, Houston, TX
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from January 1, 2016
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Robbie is thrilled at the prospect of going to school in a Scottish castle, an escape from London's Blitz during WWII. His older sister, Katherine, takes a more measured view, suspicious of what lies ahead: their father plays an undercover role in MI6, Britain's intelligence service, and has trained Kat in his clock-repair business ( You've a mind for patterns and a careful, patient hand ). Kat's suspicions only increase when her great-aunt Margaret hands over her odd-looking chatelaine, an antique belt with charms attachedeach supposed to be suffused with magic should Kat need it. Sure enough, a dark and perilous challenge lies ahead, and Kat is destined to take it on, though the level of malice she faces may be greater than she expected. Lady Eleanor, ostensibly in charge of the castle and school, is a malevolent force straight out of horror tales, and the children will need to fight for their livesand souls. This wonderfully written gothic fairy tale pairs the horror elements with a steampunk witch and mysterious staff, all while telling a war-espionage tale. Embedded lessonseven including Plato's cave allegoryfrom a pair of sympathetic castle teachers provide clues to defeating the evil witch. Readers will curl up and keep the lights on with this chilling page-turner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2016
Kat Bateson, twelve, and her little brother are sent to a castle in the countryside to escape the London Blitz. There they discover strange goings-on, eventually realizing that castle mistress Lady Eleanor is an ancient sorceress. The atmosphere is admirably creepy, and tension builds throughout, but Fox's attempt to incorporate the evils of Nazi Germany into a traditional fantasy plot was ill-advised.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)