Last Book of My Summer

As my summer reading comes to a close I can’t help but think about all the fun I had along the way. I visited fantasy worlds, became a spy, became a witch, became a child again lost to an adventure. Books are amazing vehicles that can lead you just about anywhere. Reading is not over for me! I am already building my list of books I want to tear through this fall. I’ll be sure to let you in on some of the books I’ll be reading and the impacts they made on me.

I ended my summer off with a book I have had for a while but never had the opportunity to read until now.  

The Clockwork Three, by Matthew Kirby is a super fun book. It takes place in an altered history during the early 1900’s. While I would classify this as steampunk it’s not as “steampunky” as other books I’ve read. Yes there is mention of a mechanical man and one of the kids works as a clockmaker but that’s about how far this book delves into the steampunk category. It is filled with heart racing moments as kids run for their very lives, but overall it is a story about friendship and the love of family. I love how the author explored the grittier parts of the cities, the tenements, the street urchins, and unlawful practices of child enslavement. It hinted at books like Oliver Twist and August Rush. I also enjoyed the nods he gave to the supernatural with fun character Madame Pomphrey and the magical green violin. Over all I loved the braiding of the three stories of Giuseppe, Hannah, and Fredrick into one and how they all came together to create a fun and moving mystery. I recommend this book to not only middle-grade readers but adults. This movie would make a fun movie.

Summary: Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician from Italy, who was sold by his uncle to work as a slave for an evil padrone in the U.S. But when a mysterious green violin enters his life he begins to imagine a life of freedom. Hannah is a soft-hearted, strong-willed girl from the tenements, who supports her family as a hotel maid when tragedy strikes and her father can no longer work. She learns about a hidden treasure, which she knows will save her family -- if she can find it. And Frederick, the talented and intense clockmaker's apprentice, seeks to learn the truth about his mother while trying to forget the nightmares of the orphanage where she left him. He is determined to build an automaton and enter the clockmakers' guild -- if only he can create a working head. Together, the three discover they have phenomenal power when they team up as friends, and that they can overcome even the darkest of fears.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Three-Matthew-J-Kirby/dp/0545203376/

Next on my reading list:

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio (a MG read) and Storm Moon, by Teri Harmon (a YA about witches!)