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Fly by Night

Name: Fly by Night
Author: Frances Hardinge
ISBN: 9780060876302

by Frances Hardinge

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Overview

Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye hasn't got much. Her parents are dead, her cruel uncle keeps her locked away, and her only friend is her pet goose. But she does have one small, rare thing: the ability to read. In a world where books are dangerous things, this gift will change her life—but it may also be the death of her.

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye hasn't got much. Her parents are dead, her cruel uncle keeps her locked away, and her only friend is her pet goose. But she does have one small, rare thing: the ability to read. In a world where books are dangerous things, this gift will change her life—but it may also be the death of her.

Publishers Weekly

In a broken-down medieval kingdom where reading is forbidden, 12-year-old Mosca Mye is drawn to a traveling con artist who "brought phrases as vivid and strange as spices, and he smiled as he spoke, as if tasting them." Hardinge's stylish way with prose gives her sprawling debut fantasy a literate yet often silly tone that calls to mind Monty Python. Plucky Mosca rescues the con man-called Eponymous Clent-from the town stocks, accidentally burning down her uncle's mill in the process. Their journey unfolds against a wickedly complex political backdrop, a fragmented civilization largely run by guilds of locksmiths, boatmen and printers (the only ones allowed to decide which books will survive). Mosca and Clent find themselves embroiled in intrigue between the guilds, an entry point to a sly bit of allegory involving a secret printing press and "dangerous" pamphleteers ("Truth is dangerous. It topples palaces and kills kings.... And yet there is one thing that is more dangerous than Truth. Those who would silence Truth's voice are more destructive by far," a teacher reads aloud). Along with an infusion of high-camp fantasy, Hardinge firmly plants in the novel the heroine's serious love of reading, which informs nearly everything Mosca does ("I'd been hoarding words for years," she says in an introspective moment, "buying them from peddlers and carving them secretly into bits of bark so I wouldn't forget them"). And the setting is detailed and complex enough to inspire many sequels. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Frances Hardinge

Frances Hardinge is the acclaimed author of Fly By night and Well Witched. She spent her childhood in Kent, England, in a huge, isolated old house in a small, strange village, and from an early age she wrote stories filled with magic and vivid characters. She studied at Oxford University, where she was a founding member of a writers' workshop.

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Editorials

Publishing News

"A rich and intensive tale. One to keep an eye on."

Bookseller (London)

"A wonderful and wondrous novel. Frances Hardinge has joined the company of writers whose books I will always seek out and read."—Garth Nix"A rollicking read to be savored."

Seattle Times

"Incredibly well written."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite worldcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world.”

The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

“Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite worldcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite worldcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world."

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

There is never a dull moment as Mosca burns down the barn and escapes from her wicked aunt and uncle to become the companion of an eloquent thief named Clent. Clent has a way with words and can usually talk his way out of any situation. With her ferocious goose, the threesome travel to Mandelion. There, the Locksmith and Stationer Guilds maintain order while the Duke; his sister, Lady Tamarind; and the Birdcatchers vie for power. The Stationers control the printing presses and decide what books can be read and what is banned; but a hidden press is printing subversive material. With twists and turns and people not who they seem, Mosca is never sure who to trust and the reader is continually caught off guard. Can she trust Kolrabi, the messenger of Lady Tamarind? Or, Pertellis who teaches the local children how to read and write illegal material? Maybe Captain Blythe, the ruthless highwayman who becomes a hero of the people due to a ballad Clent wrote? Who really owns the printing press? The heretical teacher? Perhaps Lady Tamarind, so she can incite the Guilds to fight each other? From deposing a ship captain's body to hiding in the printing press and the goose wreaking havoc to crocodiles guarding Tamarind, the plot and characters are absolutely zany, but the absurd adventures keep readers wondering what will happen next. 2005, HarperCollins Publishers, and Ages 9 to 13.
—Janet L. Rose

VOYA - Ann Welton

Mosca Mye, twelve years old and ready for a change, wants to leave Chough. It may be the only home she knows, but it is perennially damp and there is no chance for education. One of the few people in the literal backwater who knows how to read-courtesy of her now-dead father-Mosca has in mind the Ragged School in Mendalion, the closest large city. When smooth-talking Eponymous Clent shows up and gets affixed to the stocks for telling lies, Mosca sees an opportunity. It is, of course, an accident that her uncle's mill catches fire, but the rest of the caper, from stealing the keys to the stocks to snatching a fearsome goose named Saracen, goes quite smoothly. Soon accompanying a grudging Clent, she is on her way to the city and more complication and adventure than she bargains for. Hardinge constructs a mesmerizing story-based on life in England circa 1700-of a kingdom fractured by religious strife and censorship and a girl with the dangerous gifts of literacy and a drive for betterment. The characterization is superb, from the verbally gifted but almost fatally obtuse Clent to the mad Duke and his preternaturally calm but scheming sister. Mosca, equal parts Nancy Drew and Becky Sharp and wholly herself, is determined, bright, and self-serving, loyal only to her dreams, her terrifying goose, and-finally-the hapless Clent. The wheels-within-wheels plot and wonderful setting, fantastic only in the most realistic way, give a propulsive movement to a tale that is at once stirring and amusing. It will provide excellent fare for upper elementary, middle, and junior high school readers who like adventure, sophisticated humor, strong female protagonists, and challenging vocabulary.

KLIATT - Deirdre Root

In a world where words are dangerous and a free press is banned, lovable rascal Mosca May is on the run, with only a traveling con man named Eponymous Clent and a cranky goose for company. Their troubles are only beginning when they reach the capitol city of Mandelion, where the plots and counterplots of the various guilds and factions catch the travelers in a dangerous web. The danger only increases when Mosca learns that her father was a famous teacher and radical, both feared and revered. It takes all her wits to untangle the knot of loyalties and betrayals to work for the preservation of the Realm. This delightful romp is bound to appeal to children and adults alike, and Mosca will be a joy to travel with in the future. Reviewer: Deirdre Root

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Mosca, 12, and Eponymous Clent, a traveling wordsmith of dubious repute, become immersed in the intrigues of the city of Mandelion, where rival guilds vie for power with a "pixilated" Duke and his scheming sister. Initially awed by her confusing new surroundings, Mosca gradually pieces together important truths about the realm and her place within it. Through rich, colorful language and a sure sense of plot and pacing, Hardinge has created a distinctly imaginative world full of engaging characters, robust humor, and true suspense. Readers get to know the realm and its people through the interactions between Mosca and a well-drawn cast of supporting characters. While she tries to judge right from wrong within the complex plots that ensnare her, she finds that few of the people she meets are as simple as they first seem. Vying religious beliefs also play a part in the fate of the realm, and the details develop neatly as the adventures progress. Plot twists, lively dialogue, and the antics of Mosca's fierce pet goose add plenty of humor. The conclusion addresses the value of words in a satisfying manner. This sophisticated tale is not for everyone. Some readers may struggle to keep track of the complex politics, history, and religion in Mosca's world, but those who appreciate the inventive plots of Cornelia Funke and Jonathan Stroud or Lloyd Alexander's colorful prose should thoroughly enjoy this highly original adventure.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

“Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite worldcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Intricate plotting, well-developed and fascinating characters, delicious humor, and exquisite worldcraft envelop readers fully into this richly imagined world.”