When Ben’s parents leave him with his uncle in American, he finds himself in trouble. After both his parents and his uncle are reported dead, Ben is practically kidnapped to a school for boys. With some help he escapes to a ship, crosses back over to England, and attempts to track down his sister. There is also the added component of robotic ‘tinmen’.
This book feels very dated which heavily detracts from the story. It should have either been more period, more modern, or even more steampunk. Ben is very childish, and his story is actually kind of confusing. For example there a lot of character code names –due to the ‘mystery’ aspect of the story. So there are two Mr. Purchase's and a Mr. Buyer, and The Collector. All of which would sound like almost the same thing to a young student. I also think students will find that Ben’s lack of ingenuity and his excess of outside/coincidental help– make the plot seem too far-fetched and even fake.
Elementary – OPTIONAL
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS graduate & Author.
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