The Clockwork Three

"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+