Theft & the Miracle

Publishers Weekly

Wade's first novel—part mystery, part fantasy—centers on 12-year-old Hannah Price, who "noticed things other people didn't and... knew how to draw them." One afternoon, she gives her raincoat to a fellow classmate just as a sudden thunderstorm erupts. Hannah seeks shelter in a cathedral famous for its 14th-century wooden carving of the Virgin and Child. As she begins to sketch the sculpture, Hannah's fingers tingle and her pencil "traveled with complete assurance." When she leaves the church, Hannah begins to sense an unexplained presence watching over her. Soon thereafter the infant is stolen out of the arms of the Virgin. Hannah learns that a witches' coven plans to burn the sculpture on Dec. 24th, the statue's anniversary, and she falls for a trap set by the thief. The story moves quickly and Hannah's personal challenges (she's overweight and suffers from acne) make her an accessible heroine, but the reason for Hannah being chosen as the statue's protector remains unclear. This is a more sophisticated mystery due to its references to witchcraft and strong historical and religious overtones (the Black Death, the angel Gabriel). Readers with a keen key for clues will discover them throughout the story. Ages 9-up. (Jan.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

Back in time, in 1348, an artist carves his final piece of artwork, the statue of the Virgin and Child, and quietly passes away. Centuries later, Hannah Price encounters the work of art one rainy day as she seeks shelter in the cathedral that has the Virgin and Child. Hannah is captivated by the statue and becomes intensely involved in sketching the Virgin and Child. Later, when Hannah returns to the cathedral, the news is that the Child is missing. The police question Hannah about her actions and interest in the statue. Unusual events begin to occur. Miss Murdoch behaves in a strange manner, as if she were involved with witchery. Puzzle-like messages appear on the school bulletin board. Hannah's painting is nearly ruined before the contest deadline. Nightmares invade Hannah's sleep. The suspense grows as she tries to solve the mystery and find the Child before the Christmas mass.

VOYA - Debbie Clifford

The medieval origins of the Virgin and Child statues are revealed in the opening chapter where a poor but gifted woodcarver dies just as he completes his valuable commission for the Gloucester Cathedral in 1348. The story then shifts to the present, as fourteen-year-old Hannah Price seeks shelter from a sudden rainstorm in the Gloucester Cathedral. Hannah is overweight, has acne, and hates math, but she is a talented artist. When she finds herself seated before the statues, she decides to draw them. Overcome with a heretofore unknown fervor, she completes a perfect rendition that is observed by a chaplain. Soon after, the Virgin and Child disappear, and Hannah becomes a suspect in the theft. In pursuing the truth, Hannah discovers that one of her teachers practices witchcraft, meets a kindly derelict who is actually the angel Gabriel, and in the end is trapped in a fire with the real thief. Many teen girls would identify with Hannah's constant struggle with her appearance, although she seems to handle peers' opinions of her with atypical nonchalance. With the usual red herrings thrown in, this mystery goes off in lots of directions. Everything is miraculously resolved, but some readers might find the ending difficult to swallow.

KLIATT - Myrna Marler

This is a fantasy cleverly packaged as a modern-day mystery with Stephen King overtones and a little historical background regarding clerical corruption and the plague during the Middle Ages. Living in an unnamed British town that hosts a great cathedral, Hannah Price is the protagonist/heroine. She feels like an outsider, as many YA protagonists do, because she is both pimply and plump; but as the third-person omniscient narrator is quick to reveal, Hannah is special because she notices things other people take for granted. She is also gifted in art. And, in spite of feeling like a klutz, she has a group of devoted friends because she is, above all, a charitable soul. One day when she is in the cathedral, she is captivated by the famous sculpture of the Madonna and Child, almost spellbound, and within ten minutes draws a perfect likeness. The very next day, part of the sculpture, the baby, is stolen. The sketch Hannah has drawn pulls her into a number of dangerous paranormal experiences: here there be witches and ghosts and angelic guardians and fiendish foes. Aside from the rather frenetic pace of the plot, the theme of this story is the blessings that come with having a charitable heart. The ending is prolonged and to cynical adults may be mawkish. However, the same might be said about any number of fantasy novels. Furthermore, the triumph of good over evil may be just the ticket for fantasy and adventure-loving young teens.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Heavyset, plain Hannah Price lives an unremarkable life in southern England until she is caught up in circumstances surrounding the theft of a statue from the ancient cathedral that towers over the city. A teenager who struggles academically, Hannah only feels completely comfortable when she can lose herself in her artwork. The day of the theft, she ducks into the cathedral to escape a rainstorm and finds herself gripped by an unearthly talent as she draws an exact likeness of the Madonna and Child sculptures that have graced the cathedral for centuries. When the statue of the Christ Child is stolen that very day, the constable and others see much to suspect in her unusual behavior. As she and her friend Sam struggle to come up with answers, they quickly realize that they are up against a force darker than an ordinary thief. Wade skillfully blends the Black Death of the 14th century and other historical elements into a fascinating and well-paced story. Fully developed characters give the mystery an added depth, and the ways that Hannah and her parents deal with the grief of her brother's death when she was much younger provide intriguing undercurrents. A solid purchase for readers who enjoy intrigue with a dash of the supernatural.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 5–9
Heavyset, plain Hannah Price lives an unremarkable life in southern England until she is caught up in circumstances surrounding the theft of a statue from the ancient cathedral that towers over the city. A teenager who struggles academically, Hannah only feels completely comfortable when she can lose herself in her artwork. The day of the theft, she ducks into the cathedral to escape a rainstorm and finds herself gripped by an unearthly talent as she draws an exact likeness of the Madonna and Child sculptures that have graced the cathedral for centuries. When the statue of the Christ Child is stolen that very day, the constable and others see much to suspect in her unusual behavior. As she and her friend Sam struggle to come up with answers, they quickly realize that they are up against a force darker than an ordinary thief. Wade skillfully blends the Black Death of the 14th century and other historical elements into a fascinating and well-paced story. Fully developed characters give the mystery an added depth, and the ways that Hannah and her parents deal with the grief of her brother's death when she was much younger provide intriguing undercurrents. A solid purchase for readers who enjoy intrigue with a dash of the supernatural.
—Kim DareCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

This first novel by a British violist combines many elements: mystery, time-slip, even a little horror and allegory. Hannah Price worries about her weight and her complexion, but she is a kind girl and the best artist in her school. One day, a sudden storm drives her into the local cathedral, where she is mesmerized by the ancient oak-carved Virgin and Child, and sketches it. What follows is dizzying in its complexity: a story of school and family, but also odd teachers (are they witches?), reversals of personality, historical moments shimmering in the present, and even an appearance by an angelic gentleman named Gabriel, all turned on the fulcrum of the figure of the Child that is stolen from his mother's carved arms. The last 50 pages yoke a lot of things together by violence, and might pull an alert reader out of the story, but those willing to go along just for the ride will have a rather thrilling time. (Fiction. 9-12)

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Readers who relish a bit of otherworldly danger may wish to join Hannah and Sam.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Readers who relish a bit of otherworldly danger may wish to join Hannah and Sam.”

ALA Booklist

“Wade has a terrific talent for characterization and description, her vivid detailing makes these places come alive.”