Fire Spell - Laura Amy Schlitz

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Résumé :
A haunting magical adventure - Eva Ibbotson with a gothic twist. It begins with a girl in London, 1860. Her family is exceptionally wealthy and she is exceptionally lonely. The closest thing to friendship Clara has experienced was a brief encounter with the two ragged children who work with the puppeteer in the park. For her birthday she asks to see them perform in the drawing room, and her father, to her surprise, allows it. The puppeteer, Grisini, kidnaps Clara and uses his sinister powers to imprison her body and mind in the form of a marionette to add to his theatre.

This glorious novel by Schlitz, a past Newbery Award winner, is filled with lush language and Victorian atmosphere. New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice 20120923 A wonderfully twisty, creepy melodrama with three heroes to love, two villains to hate, and then at the end - but I won't tell, except to say it's totally satisfying Praise for Fire Spell. New York Times Settle down; prepare for mesmerism: Laura Amy Schlitz is behind the curtain, ready to show us a story that has real magic lacing through it -- Gregory Maguire New York Times bestselling author of WICKED Vivid and strange, this latest work is, like a marionette show that the orphan see one night, a spectacle 'sharp-edged, exquisite, and eerily alive' Wall Street Journal Astonishingly original ... dazzling ... A brilliant story well told New York Journal of Books Builds slowly and ends stunningly Chicago Tribune A highly original tale about children caught in a harrowing world of magic and misdeeds Publishers Weekly Schlitz proves herself a master storyteller as she skilfully manoeuvres the strings of this gothic tale right up to the astonishing climax -- Jennifer M. Brown Shelf Awareness Schlitz's prose is perfect in every stitch, and readers will savor each word. Kirkus, Starred Review An intricate tapestry that is as mysterious and timeless as a fairy tale. Booklist starred review The plot is rich with supernatural and incredibly suspenseful elements. Fans of mystery, magic, and historical fiction will all relish this novel. School Library Journal, Starred Review Revel in this lusciously atmospheric title of rival magicians and the children caught in their crossfire. The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, Starred Review