
This book is by the same author as The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, and while the humor is still there, this one is set in Victorian England rather than a modern American middle school. Our hero is Horton Halfpott, a servant at the elegant Smugwick Manor. A bizarre and humorous chain of events begins when M'Lady Luggertuck, mistress of Smugwick Manor, loosens her corset one fine morning, culminating in the mysterious disappearance of a precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump. Of course the scrupulously honest Horton is innocent, despite the accusations against him. A lively and unusual cast of characters combine to make this an intriguing, amusing and absurd mystery novel that I enjoyed very much.
I did wonder as I read whether younger readers would appreciate the humor as much as I did, however. My ten-year-old adored Origami Yoda but sadly only made it partway through this one before she gave up. So I would suggest Horton Halfpott as an excellent choice for a read-aloud - I think if we'd read it together, I could have stopped to explained things so she'd have appreciated the humor much more. Fans of humor and historical novels should definitely give this one a try.
Also by Tom Angleberger: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Horton Halfpott or The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books, 2011)
I really want to give this author a try.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really interesting. I also love the wacky names. hee!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you back, though briefly! I miss your blog posts!
Kailana - I've enjoyed both books I've read by this author, but I think I liked Origmai Yoda a bit more. I have the sequel out from the library right now and hope to get to it soon. My 10-year-old ran off with it as soon as she saw it and said she liked it even more than the first one, so that's a good sign!
ReplyDeleteCat - Thanks! I've missed being around, but I have a new laptop now, so no excuses! I am looking forward to getting caught up with everyone in the next week or so. I'm so behind on writing and reading reviews - ack!
I just checked this one out ~ glad to hear you liked it! Eager to start it tonight.
ReplyDeleteTanya :)
Sorry it took me so long to post your comment! I never think to look in my "awaiting moderation" folder, but doing that for older posts has cut down on spam a lot. Did you like the book? Have you read Origami Yoda? I thought they were both fun.
ReplyDelete