Splendors and Glooms

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, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants.

Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack -- adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara's life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. As they seek to puzzle out Clara's whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini's criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it's too late.

Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz's Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and the brilliant and bewitching storytelling that is her trademark.

Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 08/28/2012
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.50w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9780763653804
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.1
Point Value: 15
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 153476 / Splendors and Glooms


Award: Newbery Medal - Honor Book
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) - Gold Medal Winner
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2012 pg. 78
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2012
Publishers Weekly 07/02/2012 pg. 68
School Library Journal 08/01/2012 pg. 111
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2012 pg. 104
Shelf Awareness 09/04/2012
New York Times Book Review 09/16/2012 pg. 17
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2012 - Book Of Special Distinction
New York Times Book Review 09/23/2012 pg. 22
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2012 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
Kirkus Best Children's Books 11/15/2012 pg. 76
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/02/2012 pg. 33
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2012 pg. 33
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2013 pg. 13
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2013 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Laura Amy Schlitz is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, illustrated by Robert Byrd; A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama; The Night Fairy, illustrated by Angela Barrett; and other books for children. She lives in Maryland.