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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
When Ludlow Fitch suffers an unspeakable betrayal he runs from the rotten, sinking City. On the night he enters Pagus Parvus a second newcomer arrives at the remote village. Joe Zabbidou, a mysterious pawnbroker who buys people’s deepest, darkest secrets, is searching for new customers – and for an apprentice. Shadowy Ludlow seems perfect for the job.
But as he begins his new life recording the villagers’ fiendish confessions, Ludlow’s murky past threatens to come into the light ...
Ludlow Fitch is a pickpocket from the City who finds that his parents have sold his teeth to a dentist who wants to take them fresh from Fitch’s mouth. He makes his escape by stowing away on a coach belonging to Jeremiah Ratchet, a corrupt landowner who exerts control over the villagers of Pagus Parvus. Fitch’s arrival coincides with that of Joe Zabbidou who, together with his exotic frog, Saluki, sets up a pawnbroking business and takes on Fitch as his apprentice.
Before long Zabbidou is accepting all sorts of junk from the debt-ridden villagers, much to Ratchet’s disgust. But Zabbidou’s real business is secrets and he invites the villagers to share their darkest deeds with him so they can be recorded in his black book by Fitch. As more secrets are shared and Ratchet’s depravity and greed revealed, the villagers talk of rebellion, but Fitch begins to doubt Zabbidou’s motives and his own secrets threaten to surface.
Based on the conceit that Higgins has found papers setting out Fitch’s story in a hollowed out wooden leg, this is a dark but amusing story with a great deal of charm. Similar in style at times to Roald Dahl’s work, there is a gleeful grotesqueness to some of the descriptions (notably the opening scene where Fitch is getting his teeth pulled) and Higgins delves into the more sinister parts of history, notably the Resurrectionists who made their money by digging up dead bodies and selling them to anatomists for dissection. The story itself is simple and unchallenging but the style wins the reader over, particularly the segments from the Black Book itself, where people spill their secrets.
All in all it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read and will delight readers aged 9 and 10 (although parents may want to check first before giving the book to children who scare easily).
The Verdict:
Really enjoyable and suitably gruesome, it’s bound to appeal to the target age group of 9 to 12 year olds and is definitely worth a look by anyone who enjoys Roald Dahl and is looking for something similar.
When Ludlow Fitch suffers an unspeakable betrayal he runs from the rotten, sinking City. On the night he enters Pagus Parvus a second newcomer arrives at the remote village. Joe Zabbidou, a mysterious pawnbroker who buys people’s deepest, darkest secrets, is searching for new customers – and for an apprentice. Shadowy Ludlow seems perfect for the job.
But as he begins his new life recording the villagers’ fiendish confessions, Ludlow’s murky past threatens to come into the light ...
Ludlow Fitch is a pickpocket from the City who finds that his parents have sold his teeth to a dentist who wants to take them fresh from Fitch’s mouth. He makes his escape by stowing away on a coach belonging to Jeremiah Ratchet, a corrupt landowner who exerts control over the villagers of Pagus Parvus. Fitch’s arrival coincides with that of Joe Zabbidou who, together with his exotic frog, Saluki, sets up a pawnbroking business and takes on Fitch as his apprentice.
Before long Zabbidou is accepting all sorts of junk from the debt-ridden villagers, much to Ratchet’s disgust. But Zabbidou’s real business is secrets and he invites the villagers to share their darkest deeds with him so they can be recorded in his black book by Fitch. As more secrets are shared and Ratchet’s depravity and greed revealed, the villagers talk of rebellion, but Fitch begins to doubt Zabbidou’s motives and his own secrets threaten to surface.
Based on the conceit that Higgins has found papers setting out Fitch’s story in a hollowed out wooden leg, this is a dark but amusing story with a great deal of charm. Similar in style at times to Roald Dahl’s work, there is a gleeful grotesqueness to some of the descriptions (notably the opening scene where Fitch is getting his teeth pulled) and Higgins delves into the more sinister parts of history, notably the Resurrectionists who made their money by digging up dead bodies and selling them to anatomists for dissection. The story itself is simple and unchallenging but the style wins the reader over, particularly the segments from the Black Book itself, where people spill their secrets.
All in all it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read and will delight readers aged 9 and 10 (although parents may want to check first before giving the book to children who scare easily).
The Verdict:
Really enjoyable and suitably gruesome, it’s bound to appeal to the target age group of 9 to 12 year olds and is definitely worth a look by anyone who enjoys Roald Dahl and is looking for something similar.
