The setting is Victorian England with a magical twist—bogles: demon creatures that haunt chimneys, wells, or other dark places and they prefer to eat children. Birdie is a young orphan girl with the voice of an angel. She is also an apprentice to a bogler (a person who catches/kills bogles), Mr. Alfred Bunce. Birdie is the bait that brings the bogles out of their hiding places. Mr. Bunce and Birdie are summoned by a wealthy lady named Miss Eames. She offers to pay to watch them kill a bogle. Meanwhile young street thieves are disappearing. Miss Eames is shocked to discover that bogles exist and even more shocked to realize that Birdie’s life is in jeopardy each time she assists Mr. Bunce. Miss Eames is determined to find a new way to catch bogles that doesn’t require a child as bait. She offers Birdie a chance to become a singer, but before Birdie can make up her mind they discover the house where the boys have been disappearing. Author Catherine Jinks is a first-rate storyteller and the plot moves quickly with a couple of surprises. Birdie is a likeable and caring character. The secondary characters are also well developed. Sarah Watt’s illustrations look as if they were made by a quill and are creepy without being scary. Recommend to fans of The Last Apprentice series.
EL/MS-ADVISABLE. Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
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