Splendors and Glooms

by Laura Amy Schlitz

Book Overview

Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz brings her sorcery to a Victorian gothic thriller -- an enthralling, darkly comic tale that would do Dickens proud.

The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini's act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763694495
• ISBN13: 9780763694494
• Release Date: December 2017
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

So vivid and enthralling!

It didn't take me long to really get into this book. The author really took their time to fill it with background and details that seem so fitting for an era none of us have witnessed ourselves. From the reality of foundling children, working for spare coin and food, to the gilded loneliness of a wealthy (yet solitary) child. If it were a tapestry, no stitch could be found missing. The characters were so fleshed out, I can recall them in my minds eye as clearly as I can remember some of my own, very real, relatives. I found myself genuinely caring what might happen to any of them (except maybe one, which I'm sure we're meant to dislike lol). So much so that I could only put the book down for the duration of a night's sleep. If you're looking for a book that will all but transport you to a different world, one filled with magic and struggle, intrigue and charm, then this is the book for you!