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ir_sharp2's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it. Cute and light. Young boy goes on an adventure to find his great-uncle's workshop full of magic tricks and illusions. Everything was entirely too coincidental, but it was a fun little story that sucked you into his world. I may look for more books by this author because of her lightness and style. Fun fast read.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
Stuart Horten was in for a big surprise, when his parents informed him that they were moving. This was not good for Stuart. Summer time was about to start. This is definitely, not the right time to move for a ten year old, when school is out and he is the new kid. Who will he play with? With there is always his next door neighbors…the Kingley triplets…April, May, and June. They are quite interested in Stuart. Stuart finds a grand adventure when his stumbles upon a message from his Uncle urging Stuart to find his secret workshop. His uncle was a wonderful magician.
I have an enjoyable time reading this book. This book made me feel like a little kid again. I was really trying hard to guess what Stuart’s Uncle was trying to tell him in his crypt messages and figure out the clues before Stuart did. Alas, this did not happen. Although, I had fun trying. At first, like Stuart, I was annoyed by the Kingley triplets but as I got to know them, I found they grew on me. Of course, April more because she had more face time in this book than her two sisters. Stuart shined in this book. He was shy and kind of nerdy but he was in his element trying to solve the riddle of his uncle’s workshop. I am interested to see what next adventure Stuart finds himself in.
I have an enjoyable time reading this book. This book made me feel like a little kid again. I was really trying hard to guess what Stuart’s Uncle was trying to tell him in his crypt messages and figure out the clues before Stuart did. Alas, this did not happen. Although, I had fun trying. At first, like Stuart, I was annoyed by the Kingley triplets but as I got to know them, I found they grew on me. Of course, April more because she had more face time in this book than her two sisters. Stuart shined in this book. He was shy and kind of nerdy but he was in his element trying to solve the riddle of his uncle’s workshop. I am interested to see what next adventure Stuart finds himself in.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. Quirky and mysterious and old fashioned, with a little real magic and a lot of stage magic.
reading_rachel's review against another edition
4.0
Adorable little mystery book. Very similar to The Name of This Book Is Secret, but I liked this one better. Plus the illustrations are fantastic.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
This was a mildly entertaining middle grade. Quite charming in its own way but wasn't rushing to pick it back up after I had put it down. 3.5 stars.
michaelcattigan's review against another edition
3.0
A lovely and somehow old-fashioned adventure tale. Somehow reminiscent of Enid Blyton... As well as the plethora of games you can get now where you investigate various settings, find clues, use them to unlock new rooms...
This is a Carnegie 2012 shortlisted tale and very much aimed at the lower end of the age bracket: the main character Stuart is 10 years old and that gives a strong clue as to it's intended audience. Some older readers may find it a little light. Personally, I started reading it at four o'clock and had finished it by nine o'clock, having made tea in the middle!
Stuart is made to move homes at the start of the summer holidays because his mother has a new job. Aside from mild annoyance, don't expect family angst or emotional trauma from that fact! He moves to his father's home town of Beeton: quiet, Midlands and rather dull. There he discovers that his Great Uncle was a stage magician (why wouldn't his dad have said before?!) and had given his father a money box years before. Opening the money box, Stuart discovers a horde of old three penny pieces which then inadvertently lead him onto a trail of clues to discover his long lost secret magic workshop. There are friends made along the way; enemies thwarted; clues deciphered; perhaps even true magic discovered.
Small Change ... was, I felt, a good read. Younger readers will enjoy it and I am sure there will be a number of people for whom this is the book that turned them on to reading.
A good book however demands that the reader give it time; a good book has me reaching for a pen to highlight and annotate. The margins of Small Change ... are - in my copy at least - as clean as the day it left the print run!
This is a Carnegie 2012 shortlisted tale and very much aimed at the lower end of the age bracket: the main character Stuart is 10 years old and that gives a strong clue as to it's intended audience. Some older readers may find it a little light. Personally, I started reading it at four o'clock and had finished it by nine o'clock, having made tea in the middle!
Stuart is made to move homes at the start of the summer holidays because his mother has a new job. Aside from mild annoyance, don't expect family angst or emotional trauma from that fact! He moves to his father's home town of Beeton: quiet, Midlands and rather dull. There he discovers that his Great Uncle was a stage magician (why wouldn't his dad have said before?!) and had given his father a money box years before. Opening the money box, Stuart discovers a horde of old three penny pieces which then inadvertently lead him onto a trail of clues to discover his long lost secret magic workshop. There are friends made along the way; enemies thwarted; clues deciphered; perhaps even true magic discovered.
Small Change ... was, I felt, a good read. Younger readers will enjoy it and I am sure there will be a number of people for whom this is the book that turned them on to reading.
A good book however demands that the reader give it time; a good book has me reaching for a pen to highlight and annotate. The margins of Small Change ... are - in my copy at least - as clean as the day it left the print run!
sleepgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
This is really cute, and I think kids will love it. I liked the way it taught bigger words, and little things like the confusion over a baker's dozen were entertaining and realistic, which was a nice touch considering how seemingly impossible the rest of the plot is. This super fast read is definitely worth it.
lisalikesdogs's review against another edition
4.0
This book is pretty adorable. I love kids' adventure books! Definitely on par with the Mysterious Benedict Society...I look forward to the next!
beccabeccalee's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this book because I liked the cover (guilty as charged). It looked like a spooky read with an old-timey twist. While it wasn't scary, it was just the sort of thing to satisfy my odd-ball taste in reading: quirky long-lost relatives, a crumbling estate, birdwatchers, an old museum, and, of course, miraculous mechanisms. It was just my kind of book and I'm excited to watch the Horten saga unfold.
Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms follows Stuart Horten (or S. Horten, as embarrassing as that is) as he combs his new town for clues. Years ago, Stuart's magician uncle Teeny Tiny Tony Horten went missing, along with his secret workshop, rumored to be full of miraculous (and perhaps magic) mechanisms. Stuart, being the "right sort of boy," is eager to solve the mystery of his uncle's disappearance, though he's not the only one poking his nose into Tony Horten's affairs. There's also a bumbling would-be magician with a knack for attracting birds, a set of reporting triplets (some with glasses, some without), a blind woman and her dog, and a conniving assistant eager to get her hands on the secret Horten workshop. There are also Stuart's parents: a busy working mother and a crossword-writer father with an impressive (and sometimes bewildering) vocabulary.
This book had a delightful combination of quirky mystery and chuckle-worthy humor, with a bit of dark suspense to boot. I'm eager to see what happens to Stuart and his miraculous workshop. On to the next!
Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms follows Stuart Horten (or S. Horten, as embarrassing as that is) as he combs his new town for clues. Years ago, Stuart's magician uncle Teeny Tiny Tony Horten went missing, along with his secret workshop, rumored to be full of miraculous (and perhaps magic) mechanisms. Stuart, being the "right sort of boy," is eager to solve the mystery of his uncle's disappearance, though he's not the only one poking his nose into Tony Horten's affairs. There's also a bumbling would-be magician with a knack for attracting birds, a set of reporting triplets (some with glasses, some without), a blind woman and her dog, and a conniving assistant eager to get her hands on the secret Horten workshop. There are also Stuart's parents: a busy working mother and a crossword-writer father with an impressive (and sometimes bewildering) vocabulary.
This book had a delightful combination of quirky mystery and chuckle-worthy humor, with a bit of dark suspense to boot. I'm eager to see what happens to Stuart and his miraculous workshop. On to the next!
littledeerbythecreek's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5