How to Catch a Bogle
-
- $1.99
-
- $1.99
Publisher Description
Many orphans in Victorian England must resort to begging—but Birdie is busy catching monsters…
If ever a chill entered her soul, or the hope suddenly drained from her heart, she knew a bogle was to blame…
Birdie McAdam, a ten-year-old orphan, is tougher than she looks. She's proud of her job as apprentice to Alfred the Bogler, a man who catches monsters for a living. Birdie lures the bogles out of their lairs with her sweet songs—and Alfred kills them before they kill her. On the mean streets of Victorian England, hunting bogles is actually less dangerous work than mudlarking for scraps along the vile river Thames. Or so it seems, until the orphans of London start to disappear…
This historical fantasy for young readers features an “action-packed story and likable characters” along with a heroine to cheer for (School Library Journal).
“Pitch-perfect.”—Booklist (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Orphan Birdie McAdam, age 10, is apprenticed to Alfred the Bogler, who uses Birdie's angelic singing voice to lure monsters out of their hiding spots in sewer pipes or fire grates, then kills them with Finn MacCool's spear before they can kill Birdie. As risky as that sounds, Birdie loves her job, and she feels threatened when Miss Eames, an academic studying English folklore, starts accompanying Alfred and Birdie on their rounds and points out that Birdie's occupation makes other Dickensian-era job opportunities for children seem positively wholesome by comparison. This is top-notch storytelling from Jinks (the Evil Genius series), full of wit, a colorful cast of rogues, and delectable slang. The tension-fueled plot moves forward on two tracks as Birdie and Alfred face increasingly perilous confrontations with a variety of monsters, and Miss Eames makes Birdie an irresistible offer music lessons and a place in her comfortable home instead of near-certain death. What will loyal Birdie do? Prepare to wait to find out this installment is the first in a projected trilogy. Ages 9 12.
