Pizzicato: The Abduction of the Magic Violin - Softcover

Rusalka Reh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1611090040 ISBN 13: 9781611090048

Publisher: Two Lions, 2011

Synopsis

Nonstop fun with a dizzying amount of mystery, Pizzicato: The Abduction of the Magic Violin is a lighthearted whodunit featuring a fair-haired orphan named Darius Dorian, who has a sly wit and a curious way of approaching most any predicament. Darius is none too pleased to be paired with Archibald Archinola, a master violinmaker, for a school project, especially when he thinks about his rival—fellow orphan and constant nemesis Max—being surrounded by Porsches at Auto Frederick for the same assignment. But when Darius discovers an old violin in a glass case and strikes the chords, a cut on his hand magically disappears, and suddenly studying with the violinmaker proves to be anything but dull. As a greedy doctor works to get his hands on the magic fiddle, Darius is forced to pull a few strings to save the magic violin’s power.

About this title

About the Author

Rusalka Reh was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1970 and grew up in Germany. She studied special education, rehabilitation, and art therapy in Cologne. She began her career as a scientific assistant at the university’s fine arts program and later worked as an art therapist in municipal children’s homes. Since 2000, she has been working as a freelance author, writing lyrics and prose. In addition to books for children and adults, she has published several texts in anthologies and magazines.

David Henry Wilson (1937-) was born in London, and educated at Dulwich College and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He taught in France and Ghana before becoming a university lecturer in Germany, first in Cologne, then in Constance - where he founded the university theatre - and later in Bristol (England). His theatre plays have been widely produced in Britain and other countries, and his children's books (especially the Jeremy James series) have been translated into many languages. His translation work from French and German ranges from children's fiction through art and culture to literary theory and other academic fields. He is married and lives in Taunton, England, where to his wife's dismay he still plays cricket. They have three grown-up children but only one grandchild. They would like more grandchildren.

Reviews

At school and at the Stork's Nest Children's Home, where he lives in his German town, 12-year-old orphan Darius Dorian is teased and bullied for his slow, thoughtful ways. Darius' favorite escape is burrowing under his comforter and listening to classical music on an old radio, so he is thrilled when a three-week school assignment pairs him with violin maker Archibald Archinola. At Mr. Archinola's, Darius finds a magic violin with astonishing healing powers that can be unleashed only by someone as kind and patient as Darius. But after a team of mother-son crooks discovers the violin's secret, Darius finds himself in danger. Although set in contemporary times, Reh's story, translated from the German, has an Old World European charm, from the cast of eccentric, lovable characters to the scenes of cafe life. Readers will delight in watching the buffoonish villains get their comeuppance, but it's Darius' wish-fulfillment as he finds a new life filled with music and a family of his own that will satisfy readers most. Suggest this to fans of Eva Ibbotson's books. Grades 4-7. --Gillian Engberg

Edition details

• Publisher: Two Lions
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1611090040
• ISBN 13: 9781611090048
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 132