At the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures
the part animal-part human Groundlings, are controlled and forced to ‘serve and
suffer’.
Miss Carbunkle, the hairless, vicious owner of the Home with a penchant for tiered wigs, forbids any pleasure, particularly singing and music. She has a magic cane, and an agenda of her own for which she would go to any lengths, to see realized.
Miss Carbunkle, the hairless, vicious owner of the Home with a penchant for tiered wigs, forbids any pleasure, particularly singing and music. She has a magic cane, and an agenda of her own for which she would go to any lengths, to see realized.
One-eared, Number Thirteen is the only Groundling
without a name. An innocent half fox, half
boy, and small in stature, he was abandoned soon after birth at the Home. A
small key wrapped in a scrap of blanket is the only evidence of his past life. When
he saves the wingless bird Trinket from bullies, she names him Arthur, after
the brave and legendary King. Empathy is felt immediately for these specific characters.
At last Arthur has a name, and a friend. He also
has secret gifts. He can hear sounds from far away, understand animals when
they speak, and he sings in his sleep.
Trinket is a storyteller. The stories she shares
with Arthur fill him with wonder. She constructs mechanical wings from scraps
and hatches a plan of escape for Arthur and herself. The idea is born in Arthur
that he may have a family somewhere in the world outside. Was it possible that
he could find where he came from, who he was, and what he was here for? Could
he have a destiny?
In stunning prose, set in three parts, we accompany
the two friends on their journey out of the Home, and meet the most surprising
characters. When Trinket finds family, Arthur continues alone on his odyssey to
discover his destiny. He also discovers the Songcatcher, which is the secret
link to his past. Sacrifices are made.
Help comes in strange and unexpected forms. He learns to ‘be brave, and never,
ever lose hope’.
The characters are Dickensian, with allusions to
the Victorian steampunk era. Miss Carbunkle recalls the image of Miss
Trunchbull in Roald Dahl’s Matilda. The
interweaving of all these contribute significantly to this startlingly
beautiful novel.
Mira Bartok’s spectacular scenes prove she is a
‘visual thinker’. A gifted artist, musician, and writer, she uses these gifts
to illuminate the gripping plot twists and turns, and every surprise happening
in this epic journey of self-discovery and finding a place to belong. There is
a strong accent on wonder throughout the book.
With a motion picture already underway, this first
novel of Bartok’s for younger readers is impressive. Her exquisite artwork is
mind-blowing. The book is divine in every way. The excitement surrounding its
release is well deserved.
Title:
The Wonderling: Songcatcher
Author/Illustrator:
Mira Bartok
Publisher:
Candlewick/Walker Books, $24.99
Publication
Date: October 2017
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9780763691219
For
ages: 10 - 12
