Splendors and Glooms review by Anjel
Splendors and Glooms (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Age Range - 8 - 12
Genre - Juvenile Fiction
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

Age at time of review - 10
Reviewer's Location - Elkwood, VA, United States
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Clara Wintermute loves the puppet show Grisini and his apprentices put on. As the only surviving child of a wealthy doctor, Clara usually gets her way. But when she asks her parents to have Grisini perform at her birthday party, she has to throw a fit to get them to say yes. After Clara's party, where Grisini performs, her mother gets mad at Clara for her actions during the party. After going to bed, Clara decides to sneak out as a result of her mother’s disappointment in her. When Clara ends up missing the next morning, Grisini is blamed for kidnapping her.

As Lizzie, Rose, and Parsiful, whom are Grisini's apprentices, try to find Clara, they uncover some secrets that Grisini has been trying to keep hidden. During their search for Clara, the apprentices get pulled into a dangerous trap which is set by a witch, who just so happens to be an old friend of Grisini. During their plight with the witch, they decide that they might have a better chance of finding Clara, even if it's a dangerous chance, by utilizing the witch's powers to their advantage.

Opinion: 

This is a truly unusual book, as I have never read a book like this. I was so excited when I finished the book that I ran out of my room screaming to my brother that he had to read it. I continued to talk about the book forever, and I still am, expanding the audience to my mother and father. I felt as if I were one of the puppets in Grisini’s puppet show and continued to feel the excitement of the adventures happening all around me. If you have never read a book with many stories in one, you should read this one.

Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content

Explain your content rating: 

There is some crude content.
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