Jinks, Catherine. A Plague of Bogles.

Jinks, Catherine.  A Plague of Bogles.  Houghton Mifflin  2015  330p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-544-08747-7  ms  Historical  VG-BN     

Deep underground in Victorian London’s sewers and depths lie the monsters, the evil child-eating bogles of your worst imaginings.  It will be up to some unsung heroes to protect the innocent.   A Plague of Bogles resumes the tale of Jem Barbary, a former pickpocket who has rejoined forces with Alfred Bunce, newly retired bogle killer, and Birdie McAdam, his former apprentice.  When the area around Newgate Prison is suddenly beset with a plague of missing children, Bunce reluctantly returns to action and Jem is recruited to be his newest apprentice.  He will be replacing Birdie, now an aspiring singer living with wealthy Miss Eames.  When the first bogle is dispatched, word goes out across the area, and Bunce receives many calls for his skills.  Upset by the fact that there is such a high concentration of monsters in a small area, the group must work together to solve the mysterious disappearances of the children. 

Second in a trilogy, this lively and exciting novel will be a hit.  It is engaging and suspenseful, with excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot.  Jem’s first-person narrative is well blended with historical descriptions.  The grand adventure moves along quickly, with just enough blood and gore, and it will hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end, leaving them waiting impatiently for the last book in the series.  The book also includes a glossary of English slang at the end.

Summary: A Plague of Bogles resumes the tale of Jem Barbary, a former pickpocket who has rejoined forces with Alfred Bunce, newly retired bogle killer, and Birdie McAdam, his former apprentice.  When the area around Newgate Prison is suddenly beset with a plague of missing children, Bunce reluctantly returns to action and Jem is recruited to be his newest apprentice to help with the elimination of the bogles.       

Monsters-Fiction                                            --Susan Ogintz

Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Captured!

Pryor, Bonnie Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Captured!
Enslow 2009 160p $27.93 978-0-7660-3310-8 elm/ms
Historical Fiction Adventures(Enslow)

The band of pirates that Hannah Pritchard joined (dressed as a boy), are split to return to Massachusetts. Hannah’s group is captured and condemned to prison. The conditions are terrible so they plan an escape. This is the second Hannah Pritchard book. Dressed as a boy, Hannah and her band of pirates capture several British ships and find treasure. There are exciting sea battles between the pirates and the British. Off the Carolina coast, Hannah, Daniel and Dobbs go ashore to bury the treasure. They are captured by British soldiers. As captured rebels, the prisoners are treated poorly. The food is so bad and the air so foul Hannah doubted she would make it, but Daniel always encouraged her. They are transported to New York where they endure imprisonment in even worse conditions. They are so crowded they can not lie down but shuffle every few minutes to circle around an get a breath of fresh air from the tiny window. Eventually they are moved to a prison ship where conditions are deplorable and smallpox is raging. A brief respite comes by way a market woman who brings tiny niceties. They enlist her help to send a letter to Hannah’s friends in Portsmouth. Seeing sickness and death firsthand, they experience a winter with just a thin blanket. Realizing that they would probably die if they stay on the ship, they make plans for escape. Reaching a town along the Hudson, they steal a refurbished ship the night before the British were coming to claim it. At the beginning of the story there is a synopsis of book one. The text closes with detailed historical information about the time of the story. Theal, Joan

Vanderwal, A. H. The Battle for Duncragglin

Vanderwal, Andrew H. The Battle for Duncragglin
Tundra Books 2009 310p 19.95 978-0-88776-886-6 ms/jr The ruins of Duncragglin Castle are rumored to be haunted and Alex thinks the labyrinth of caves underground may have something to do with the disappearance of his parents. In the caves, he and his three friends are transported to the late thirteenth century, the time of William Wallace. His parents having mysteriously disappeared, twelve year old Alex is sent to live with an aunt in Scotland. Due to an illness of the aunt, unexpectedly, he ends up staying with a local family near the ruins of Duncragglin castle. Believing that the labyrinth of caves under the ruins may hold the secret to several mysterious disappearances including Alex’s own parents and the friends’ mother, Alex and friends begin to explore the caves. Quite quickly they are transported to the time of William Wallace. This is the bloody, late thirteenth century. The youths meet the key players of that time. There are battles, captures, escapes and adventures. The characters of the young protagonists are well developed with a nice complement of younger and older, boys and girls, and adventurous and shy. Every reader can find attributes of themselves in one or more of the characters. Fast paced, it is a can’t put it down read. Theal, Joan

Rinaldi, Ann. My Vicksburg.

Rinaldi, Ann. My Vicksburg.
Harcourt Brace 2009 152p 16.00 978-0-15-206624-6 ms/jr

This is the story of a young Confederate girl who lived in Vicksburg during the battle. It shows the readers about the hardships incurred as well as the unusual aspects of warfare at that time. Claire Louise Corbet was a young girl who was considered to be headstrong. She also has an unusual family situation because her father is a Confederate doctor and her brother(Landon) is a Union doctor. The family had to move out of their home during the bombings and live in a cave on the outskirts of town. However, when the bombing stopped for the luncheon and evenings meals, they could return home for any item they had forgotten. This went on for 47 days until the town surrendered.
However, Claire came to realize that all was not black and white when he brother hides a Confederate deserter(Robert-who lost a post to Robert E. Lee) in their cave until he can get well. Claire takes things into her own hand when she realizes that he brother is honor bound to turn Robert in for treason. She provides Robert with her horse so that he can escape to the West.
The author has done a good job of providing an insight into what the life and trials of people who lived through such situations encountered. LM

The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire by Suzane Lieurance

Lieurance, Suzanne. The Locket: Surviving the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
Enslow, 2008, 160p, $27.93, 978-0-7660-2928-6
Historical-ficton, garment_industry, working_conditions, American_history, Enslow, Lieurance, teacher’s_guide, “Triangle_Shirtwaist_Fire”

This is a historical fiction book that provides an insight into the tragic event that occurred on March 25, 1911 in a New York City garment factory fire.
The author has created an insightful story that will appeal to young readers as well as providing them with a clear understanding of the working conditions at the time. The trials and stresses of a Russian-Jewish immigrant family are accurately portrayed so that the reader can understand the poor working conditions and cultural disconnects.
One of the most important aspects of this series is the support .pdf for educators. In today’s busy schools it is so hard to fit everything into the schedule. Teachers will be most appreciative of the tools and support provided for them.
The book is appropriate for ages 9-12. American history is taught in both the upper elementary grades and middle schools. Some districts are getting away from syncing a period of history to a particular grade. They have developed a series of themes that occur throughout history. It would benefit Enslow to make this book more appropriate to a wider range of students by simply changing some details. Lower ability students in higher grades would read this book except for the picture of the girl on the front cover. She looks young (granted she was). Changing the cover by keeping it the same with the exception of sketching the girl in black/white in the graphic novel style so popular today might do the trick. The people on the cover of the first two books would fit into any grade through high school because the individual don’t look juvenile.
Lastly there is an undocumented rule for fiction by students. “They want a book that is 100 pages or less for their reports.” The book’s size and text are appropriate. However the book itself is all text. It needs some sketches or graphics to breakup the pages or introduces chapters. Most readers would like a little eye candy along the way.
This is the third in the HFA series. I have read the other two books and find them excellent books for upper elementary and middle school readers. LM