Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
It’s 1849, the year John Huffman’s father is sentenced to London’s Whitecross Street Prison. He’s been put away for gambling debt—leaving fourteen-year-old John and his family out on the street. But it seems gambling is the least of their problems: Father Huffman is accused of treason. Surrounded by a cast of sinister and suspicious characters, John’s not sure what to believe…or whom.
Synopsis
John Huffam is sure the tall man's beard is false. He's sure of little else in November 1849, the year he is fourteen, the year his father is sentenced to London's Whitecross ...
Publishers Weekly
Avi lifts a few facts from Charles Dickens's biography to spin this action-packed tale of secret identities, double-dealing and betrayal, set in mid-19th-century London. John Huffam (the middle names of Charles J.H. Dickens) is 14, reluctantly attending Muldspoon's Militantly Motivated Academy, when his father (like Dickens') is sent to debtor's prison. His mother is a layabout who does nothing but complain of her husband's fecklessness, and his sister's sole concern is how this family crisis impacts her marital prospects. It's left to John to unravel a mystery involving a military invention that his father, a naval clerk, has information about and a web of foreign spies willing to pay for specifics. John is a bit too good to be true: although he's horrified to uncover his father's various deceits, he refuses to listen to his estranged, rich great-great-Aunt Euphemia bad-mouth the man ("Your shame speaks well of you," she says, misunderstanding him). Though idealized, John is also thoroughly empathetic, a child with hefty concerns thrust upon him, unsure of who he can trust. At least one character's motivation remains murky at the end, but the twisty plot keeps the pages turning and the rich period detail-as well as debut illustrator's Raude's delicate pen and ink illustrations scattered throughout-places readers right in Victorian England at a time when the serialization of David Copperfield had London abuzz. Ages 11-14. (June)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEditorials
Publishers Weekly
Avi lifts a few facts from Charles Dickens's biography to spin this action-packed tale of secret identities, double-dealing and betrayal, set in mid-19th-century London. John Huffam (the middle names of Charles J.H. Dickens) is 14, reluctantly attending Muldspoon's Militantly Motivated Academy, when his father (like Dickens') is sent to debtor's prison. His mother is a layabout who does nothing but complain of her husband's fecklessness, and his sister's sole concern is how this family crisis impacts her marital prospects. It's left to John to unravel a mystery involving a military invention that his father, a naval clerk, has information about and a web of foreign spies willing to pay for specifics. John is a bit too good to be true: although he's horrified to uncover his father's various deceits, he refuses to listen to his estranged, rich great-great-Aunt Euphemia bad-mouth the man ("Your shame speaks well of you," she says, misunderstanding him). Though idealized, John is also thoroughly empathetic, a child with hefty concerns thrust upon him, unsure of who he can trust. At least one character's motivation remains murky at the end, but the twisty plot keeps the pages turning and the rich period detail-as well as debut illustrator's Raude's delicate pen and ink illustrations scattered throughout-places readers right in Victorian England at a time when the serialization of David Copperfield had London abuzz. Ages 11-14. (June)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationVOYA -
This historical spy thriller is set in nineteenth-century London. John Huffman's father has been arrested as a debtor, owing the unexpected sum of three hundred pounds-three years salary. Always the gentleman, he must rely on John to help pay off the debt. But John finds that it is much more than a simple debt and that there are spies and people who are not as they appear. As he finds his way through the streets of London, he travels a much more confusing path of secrets and lies. Avi writes a suspenseful novel full of red herrings, surprises, and vivid details. Sary the Sneak is a strong female character, and John's father is expertly portrayed, with little details hinting at his true character. John grows from a nanve young man to a more savvy and principled character. Raude's black-and-white illustrations enhance the visual imagery of Avi's writing. A historical note at the end places the novel in the context of Charles Dickens's life, who appears through the serialization of Great Expectations, which various characters are reading. Although completely fictionalized, there is homage paid to Dickens in that Avi's young character experiences something with which Dickens himself was familiar-a father in debtor's prison. It is portrayed in a fun, suspenseful read that demonstrates Avi's talent for painting pictures with words.Children's Literature
AGERANGE: Ages 11 to 14.Readers beware! You are about to enter the seedy morass that is London, England, 1849. Your guide and companion is one John Huffam, a decent chap whose father is about to be sent to debtors' prison. When John and his family are evicted from their home and relocated to a sponging house, fourteen-year-old John learns firsthand how cruel the world can be. His father, Wesley John Lewis Huffam, makes matters more confusing by imploring John to help the family out of this mess--without telling him the truth. The elder Huffam fancies himself a gentleman, when in fact he is a conniving con artist. This trouble has arisen because a certain Mr. O'Doul has sworn out a writ that Mr. Huffam owes him 300 pounds. Well, Huffam swears to his gullible son that he owes no one money and that he does not know anyone by the name of O'Doul. John must sort things out for himself. Along the way, he meets Sary the sneak, a miserly great aunt he never knew existed, enemies of his father, and enemies of the state. John does sort things out in the end; readers will cheer for him along the way. This engaging mystery is full of intrigue. The characters are well defined and the plot is fast-moving. It is an excellent piece of historical fiction. An author's note at the end of the book explains the tales connection to Charles Dickens and the London he inhabited. Reviewer: Jeanne K. Pettenati, J.D.
KLIATT -
When his father is carted off to debtors' prison, 14-year-old John Huffam must save his family by discovering who has arranged to have the man imprisoned and why, so that he can figure out how to free him. His father, a Navy clerk, has learned a military secret, and any number of people are interested in it, from an Irish rebel to a little Frenchman to John's bullying, one-legged teacher, Sergeant Muldspoon—and it turns out Scotland Yard is using the father as bait to uncover the traitor who wants to buy the secret. When John meets Sary the Sneak, a girl who sells information she gleans on the street, he thinks he's found a friend at last. But is there anyone he can trust? Newbery Medal winner Avi returns to one of his favorite settings, Victorian London, for this suspenseful tale, rich in characters and historical detail, that was inspired by the life of young Charles Dickens—whose middle names were John Huffam and whose father went to debtors' prison. Divided into 47 brief chapters with appropriately Victorian headings ("My Family's Fortunes Fall," "Father Makes a Request of Me") and illustrated with b/w drawings, this is a thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery that will have wide appeal.School Library Journal
Gr 5-9 - Avi returns to the 19th century in this novel of traitors, spies, family, and even love. John Huffam's father works as a clerk in the Naval Ordinance Office in London, and he is suspected of trying to sell a secret about a new weapon to pay his gambling debts. When he is arrested as a debtor, 14-year-old John, the sensible member of his family, must seek financial help from a distant relative, leave school for employment, and unravel the mystery surrounding his father and try to find out why so many people are spying on the Huffams. The novel perfectly captures John's passage from naive boy to disillusioned young man, as his world crumbles when he sees his father more clearly. He develops an unlikely friend, partner, and even romance with the slippery orphan, Sary the Sneak, whose motives sometimes seem as suspect as the many other characters involved. This is a Victorian tale charmingly told in Victorian fashion. Avi's love of the period is evident in how vividly, and without romanticizing, he brings London, teeming with eccentric characters, smells, and sounds, to life. Indeed, the city becomes a central character. With plenty of period detail, this action-packed narrative of twists, turns, and treachery is another winner from a master craftsman.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information