The God of Mischief - Softcover

Bajoria, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316016284 ISBN 13: 9780316016285

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007

Synopsis

Sent to live with their nearest living relative, Sir Septimus Cloy, the eccentric widower of their late mother's cousin, Mog and Nick spend a lot of time on their own. They explore the Cloy mansion, with its towers and turrets, staircases leading nowhere, and forbidden rooms. Two elderly manservants, Melibee and Bonefinger, guard Cloy like malevolent ravens. Then sinister things begin to happen: a falling gargoyle misses them in the churchyard, a flagstone collapses beneath their feet, and their governess is found hanged in her room. References in old documents point to some dark secrets in the history of the house, and the village is rife with rumors. Is the mysterious Damyata, a villian from Mog's past, at large once again? And can the twins discover the truth behind the family mansion and its secrets, before their own lives become endangered?

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Bajoria is the author of The Printer's Devil (9/05). A writer and producer for BBC Radio 4, he was born in 1964 to a British mother and an Indian father, grew up in the North East of England, and took English degrees at Oxford and Toronto universities. He lives in Northumberland with his partner and their two children.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6–9—This sequel to The Printer's Devil (Little, Brown, 2005) continues the adventures of Mog (Imogen) and Nick, twin orphans in early-19th-century England. Having spent most of their childhood apart under difficult conditions, the now 13-year-old siblings have been reunited and are living with Sir Septimus, a distant relative of their mother, at his rural estate. The youngsters investigate the death of their governess, the whisperings of superstitious villagers, and the return of Damyata, a mysterious man from India who is somehow connected to their past. They soon discover that Sir Septimus has been involved in numerous misdeeds, stumble upon a murderous conspiracy, and end up unraveling many family secrets. Bajoria creates a readable mix of historical fiction, mystery, and adventure. A slow start eventually builds to an exciting climax in which the local ritual of making straw "guys" and burning them becomes a stage for murder. Although the pace lags in some places and races in others, the eerie setting and macabre characters provide enough chills to overcome some uneven plotting. While this novel does not stand alone, readers of the first book will want to know the protagonists' fate. These titles, though not essential purchases, would be good picks for those too young for Philip Pullman's "Sally Lockhart" mysteries (Knopf).—Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0316016284
• ISBN 13: 9780316016285
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400
• Illustrator: Bertholf Bret