Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Desperate to escape from his cruel master and make his way back to his home in Italy, Giuseppe is excited to find a green violin that is like new. Playing it every day in the streets, he is able to make large amounts of money for his escape. Storing it in a crypt of a man by the name of Stroop, he dreams of the day he will be able to buy his passage home. However, his cruel master, Stephano, grows suspicious of Giuseppe and begins watching him like a hawk.
Once a great stonemanson, Hannah's father has become an invalid after suffering a bad stroke. Her mother must stay home and care for him as well as the two youngest children. Forced to work in a hotel as a maid, Hannah longs to be able to go back to school and move out of the tenement housing they live in. When her father falls seriously ill from a bedsore, Hannah's desperate attempts to get money for the medicine her father needs all fail. Her only hope is to find the missing treasure of Mr. Stroop, a once wealthy, prominent, living person in society.
Apprenticed to a clockmaker, Frederick was lucky enough to escape the orphanage life. Curious to a fault, Frederick seeks unique ways to becoming a journeyman in his field. When he gets the idea to make a clockwork man, he begins saving pieces of scrap metal from around the shop and starts creating them into the form of a man. All he needs is a head.
Their lives spun together like clockwork, these three's paths become entwined for better or for worse. Working together to try and meet all three of their goals, they are able to find a way into Mr. Stroop's old hidden room above the hotel, find a clockwork head for Frederick, and help Giuseppe get out from under his oppression. Their plans, however, soon backfire and make matters worse.
Now, Giuseppe is on the run for his life from his cruel master, Frederick has mysterious men from the town museum after him for stealing their clockwork head, and Hannah is on the run from the police for theft and burglary from the hotel she was working at. Their only hope is to find the treasure. Will they succeed?
An amazing adventure filled with excitement, action, and friendship. The characters are well-developed. The plot is unique, well-done, and does a great job of holding the reader's interest. Those who like fantasy, adventure, and mystery will all enjoy reading THE CLOCKWORK THREE.
Desperate to escape from his cruel master and make his way back to his home in Italy, Giuseppe is excited to find a green violin that is like new. Playing it every day in the streets, he is able to make large amounts of money for his escape. Storing it in a crypt of a man by the name of Stroop, he dreams of the day he will be able to buy his passage home. However, his cruel master, Stephano, grows suspicious of Giuseppe and begins watching him like a hawk.
Once a great stonemanson, Hannah's father has become an invalid after suffering a bad stroke. Her mother must stay home and care for him as well as the two youngest children. Forced to work in a hotel as a maid, Hannah longs to be able to go back to school and move out of the tenement housing they live in. When her father falls seriously ill from a bedsore, Hannah's desperate attempts to get money for the medicine her father needs all fail. Her only hope is to find the missing treasure of Mr. Stroop, a once wealthy, prominent, living person in society.
Apprenticed to a clockmaker, Frederick was lucky enough to escape the orphanage life. Curious to a fault, Frederick seeks unique ways to becoming a journeyman in his field. When he gets the idea to make a clockwork man, he begins saving pieces of scrap metal from around the shop and starts creating them into the form of a man. All he needs is a head.
Their lives spun together like clockwork, these three's paths become entwined for better or for worse. Working together to try and meet all three of their goals, they are able to find a way into Mr. Stroop's old hidden room above the hotel, find a clockwork head for Frederick, and help Giuseppe get out from under his oppression. Their plans, however, soon backfire and make matters worse.
Now, Giuseppe is on the run for his life from his cruel master, Frederick has mysterious men from the town museum after him for stealing their clockwork head, and Hannah is on the run from the police for theft and burglary from the hotel she was working at. Their only hope is to find the treasure. Will they succeed?
An amazing adventure filled with excitement, action, and friendship. The characters are well-developed. The plot is unique, well-done, and does a great job of holding the reader's interest. Those who like fantasy, adventure, and mystery will all enjoy reading THE CLOCKWORK THREE.
This is an entertaining and exciting story. It's sometimes hard to read, dealing as it is with child labor in the late 1800s. Great friendships between the children and well explained back-stories for each. Author's note says that he was inspired to write the story after hearing about a boy in New York who was kidnapped from Italy and made to work as a street busker, managed to escape and was taken care of by an old woman in Central Park. He was part of the child-labor laws being changed. I enjoyed this story.
The book is written for children of about middle school age. It is filled with mystery, excitement, and plenty of action. The three main characters are skillfully interwoven to become friends who help each other overcome their problems. Good vs. evil and the triumph of hard work and common sense all shine in the plot. Very enjoyable! D.
