Scan barcode
f33lthesun's review against another edition
5.0
Pull back the curtain and enter a world where mystery and magic take centre stage in a gloriously gothic, Victorian era adventure.
Twelve-year-old Tig works at Manchester’s Theatre Royale, cleaning, selling tickets, crawling along beams to light the gas stage lamps and anything else that is asked of her by her deliciously villainous boss, Mr Snell.
A strange and intriguing new act, a talking machine, arrives and behaves in a way that Tig just can’t work out. The machine appears to be hinting at a dangerous secret, so Tig must race against time to solve the mysterious clues. Just when she thinks she has, it turns out she was wrong and, because of her impetuousness, problems occur and her close friends start to mistrust her.
An action packed Victorian adventure full of ghosts, gadgets and shifty villains.
Jenni Spangler has used a real story to create a tense, atmospheric tale involving a cast of characters, so well written that I read it in one afternoon.
There is plenty of action, from Tig balancing on beams high above the stage in the dark, lighting the new gas stage lamps to mysterious thefts, disappearances and races to try to prevent the machine’s possible predictions for catastrophe.
However, the strength of the story lies in the characters that Jenni has created.
Tig, the feisty, impetuous, determined heroine.
Nelson, the sensible, cautious friend.
Mr Snell, the villainous, permanently nagging boss.
Gus, the ambitious but sneaky stagehand.
Mr (oops, sorry, Professor) Faber, the eccentric German inventor of the talking machine.
Eliza, the stage manager, who does her best to look after Tig when her “act first, think later” attitude gets her in trouble.
Euphonia, the talking head…does she have a mind of her own?
Chris Mould’s brilliant illustrations capture perfectly the array of characters and the gothic feel of the time, adding even more texture to an already well woven story.
Twelve-year-old Tig works at Manchester’s Theatre Royale, cleaning, selling tickets, crawling along beams to light the gas stage lamps and anything else that is asked of her by her deliciously villainous boss, Mr Snell.
A strange and intriguing new act, a talking machine, arrives and behaves in a way that Tig just can’t work out. The machine appears to be hinting at a dangerous secret, so Tig must race against time to solve the mysterious clues. Just when she thinks she has, it turns out she was wrong and, because of her impetuousness, problems occur and her close friends start to mistrust her.
An action packed Victorian adventure full of ghosts, gadgets and shifty villains.
Jenni Spangler has used a real story to create a tense, atmospheric tale involving a cast of characters, so well written that I read it in one afternoon.
There is plenty of action, from Tig balancing on beams high above the stage in the dark, lighting the new gas stage lamps to mysterious thefts, disappearances and races to try to prevent the machine’s possible predictions for catastrophe.
However, the strength of the story lies in the characters that Jenni has created.
Tig, the feisty, impetuous, determined heroine.
Nelson, the sensible, cautious friend.
Mr Snell, the villainous, permanently nagging boss.
Gus, the ambitious but sneaky stagehand.
Mr (oops, sorry, Professor) Faber, the eccentric German inventor of the talking machine.
Eliza, the stage manager, who does her best to look after Tig when her “act first, think later” attitude gets her in trouble.
Euphonia, the talking head…does she have a mind of her own?
Chris Mould’s brilliant illustrations capture perfectly the array of characters and the gothic feel of the time, adding even more texture to an already well woven story.
janpd24's review
4.0
What a lovely MG novel, with a fantasy (gothic) element and a real historical fact as background. Tig is a lovely protagonist, and while the book drags a bit at the start, it picks up later on. The detail of working in a theatre much before modern amenities like electricity was available is fascinating.
Will definitely be recommending this to young and old readers who like a bit of magic and spooks in their lives.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
Will definitely be recommending this to young and old readers who like a bit of magic and spooks in their lives.
(Review copy from NetGalley)
More...