"When Giuseppe found the green violin, he did not think it would help him escape."
Read
that sentence. Listen to it. Read it again to your dog, to your fish,
or to your mother in the next room, and tell me that those words aren't
magic. I can tell you right now I will think you are crazy.
You can tell a lot by a first sentence. This one is a whopper.
Why?
Because from the first sentence, Giuseppe is on a journey. And this is
not just any journey, but this is a journey about a green violin. Green!
That's strange, you may say to yourself. Already Matthew Kirby has
instilled two thoughts in your head. They are:
1. Giuseppe has to escape. Escape from what?
2. What magical powers does this green violin posses?
Not
only that, but even the name "Giuseppe" lets you know that this story
is going to be about an Italian boy (partly, anyway). When an author can
convey three important facts in one sentence, my friends, this is a
writer to pay attention to. The January evening that I picked this book
up, I literally squealed with delight and, just like I told you to do,
read the sentence to my mother.
The Clockwork Three, however,
stuns you even further, as it is historical fiction, but reads like a
true adventure. What's an automaton? Who is Madame Pomeroy and her
Russian sidekick? Could children really have been treated so abominably?
And don't forget the romance, friends. There's even a little bit of
that, too.
This
world is darker than you would expect. However, there's a lot of trust,
faith, and dreams, too. The characters are human. They make mistakes.
My only complaint is that the children sometimes seem older than they
really are.
A
first book from the wonderful Matthew J. Kirby, and he accomplishes all
this? Pay attention to this man, ladies and gentlemen, for he can
write. Not only that, but he can write darn well. Read this one. Discuss
it. You won't be able to put it down.
Appropriate for ages 10+
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