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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
As I appear to be the only person on StoryGraph to have read this book, I thought I should write a review for it, in case anyone should stumble across it.
The History of Mischief is a book that defies easy categorisation. It mixes elements from many genres - historical fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction - and at the same time doesn't fit into any of these categories.
If this book doesn't fit neatly into pre-defined boxes, then the prospective reader may well ask, what is it about?
The story is told from the perspective of nine-year-old Jessie. She and her elder sister Kay - who is eleven years her senior - have recently lost their parents in a car accident. As the story opens, they have moved into the now-abandoned home of their grandmother, who has long ago moved into a nursing home. Kay has taken on the role of parent to Jessie, something both are uneasy and uncomfortable with.
Everything changes one evening when they discover a trapdoor hidden beneath the carpet of the house's study. The trapdoor opens to reveal a book entitled The History of Mischief (I know, very meta). The pages reveal the stories of individual "mischief practitioners" throughout world history, from Ancient Greece to Victorian Britain and many countries in between. Magic - or, as it's also known, "mischief" - features in every one of these stories.
The stories draw Jessie and Kay closer together - but questions remain about its origins and its content. And just who is their mysterious new neighbour - and what is she hiding?
Primarily, The History of Mischief is an ode to knowledge, to the power of the written word to inspire and inform. It's also about the power of a long-beloved institution that are purveyors of knowledge - libraries. Rebecca Higgie's clear love for libraries and the people who work in them shines through. Every time Jessie finishes a story, her hunger to know more about the historical period it was written in leads her to the library, and here Higgie delights in describing the intricate workings of library operations. Lovers of the written word will no doubt enjoy reading about these.
The History of Mischief is also about the grieving process. Jessie and Kay both deeply mourn the loss of their parents, and the unfamiliar environment of their grandmother's house exacerbates the tensions between them. Jessie finds it difficult to cope with not only her own grief but also with the reactions of her schoolmates and teachers, who don't quite know how to deal with her.
Whilst visiting her school library one day, she meets Theo (who is strongly hinted to be autistic) a Korean boy who loves listening to K-pop. His mother isdying of cancer, but his nanny has told him the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (look it up), and, like Sadako tries to do with her leukaemia, he believes that if he makes a thousand paper cranes his mother will get well again . Somewhat reluctantly at first, Jessie begins to assist him in his task, and gradually friendship blossoms between them. Theo is a wonderful character, and I suspect readers will probably warm to him much sooner than Jessie does.
This book touches on other weighty themes, including racism, colonialism, war, anti-Semitism (with references to the Holocaust), poverty, parenthood, and homophobia - but it never preaches to you, everything is handled very delicately and beautifully.
There are many more things I could talk about with this book, but, in summary, I will just say - read it.
The History of Mischief is a book that defies easy categorisation. It mixes elements from many genres - historical fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction - and at the same time doesn't fit into any of these categories.
If this book doesn't fit neatly into pre-defined boxes, then the prospective reader may well ask, what is it about?
The story is told from the perspective of nine-year-old Jessie. She and her elder sister Kay - who is eleven years her senior - have recently lost their parents in a car accident. As the story opens, they have moved into the now-abandoned home of their grandmother, who has long ago moved into a nursing home. Kay has taken on the role of parent to Jessie, something both are uneasy and uncomfortable with.
Everything changes one evening when they discover a trapdoor hidden beneath the carpet of the house's study. The trapdoor opens to reveal a book entitled The History of Mischief (I know, very meta). The pages reveal the stories of individual "mischief practitioners" throughout world history, from Ancient Greece to Victorian Britain and many countries in between. Magic - or, as it's also known, "mischief" - features in every one of these stories.
The stories draw Jessie and Kay closer together - but questions remain about its origins and its content. And just who is their mysterious new neighbour - and what is she hiding?
Primarily, The History of Mischief is an ode to knowledge, to the power of the written word to inspire and inform. It's also about the power of a long-beloved institution that are purveyors of knowledge - libraries. Rebecca Higgie's clear love for libraries and the people who work in them shines through. Every time Jessie finishes a story, her hunger to know more about the historical period it was written in leads her to the library, and here Higgie delights in describing the intricate workings of library operations. Lovers of the written word will no doubt enjoy reading about these.
The History of Mischief is also about the grieving process. Jessie and Kay both deeply mourn the loss of their parents, and the unfamiliar environment of their grandmother's house exacerbates the tensions between them. Jessie finds it difficult to cope with not only her own grief but also with the reactions of her schoolmates and teachers, who don't quite know how to deal with her.
Whilst visiting her school library one day, she meets Theo (who is strongly hinted to be autistic) a Korean boy who loves listening to K-pop. His mother is
This book touches on other weighty themes, including racism, colonialism, war, anti-Semitism (with references to the Holocaust), poverty, parenthood, and homophobia - but it never preaches to you, everything is handled very delicately and beautifully.
There are many more things I could talk about with this book, but, in summary, I will just say - read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Medical trauma, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
Aboriginal Australians (as well as black people) should be warned a few racial slurs are briefly mentioned, including the "a" and "c" words. The book also discusses the forced institutionalization of Aboriginal children (Stolen Generation), as well as the death in custody of an Aboriginal man
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