Good action-packed page-turner for boys and girls. Good strong central character, and I enjoyed the feel of being in that era without being overloaded with description. The relationship between Alfred and Birdie is very well done and quite touching. It is scary, but nothing too bad, not enough to scare kids. I love British folklore so I enjoyed knowing exactly what the types of 'bogles' were.Enjoyable read, it didn't quite touch my heart or give me the feelz like I wanted, but an easy, fun read for a late primary reader. Read this aloud with three kids 7-9. We all liked it, but I think it is better to read than to be read to. This is a throughly researched book by Australian Jinks, very much a kind of mix of Dickensian Victorian England and Harry Potter fantasy (a bogle is a spook or monster and the main characters work as boglers, hired to get bogles out of houses like soot out of a chimney… only they are monsters. The language is sometimes dense, meaning Jinks uses precise language from the period for authenticity (and maybe urging readers to do a little etymological research… which we didn't really do…). But it's a good story with good writing and characters and a pretty interesting plot.
Do You like book A Very Unusual Pursuit (2013)?
The language and slang made it too difficult for my 9 yr old and I to get through.
—pauline
Cute middle grade novel. I think I would have loved it when I was a kid.
—Jen
Not her best work - but enjoyable nonetheless.
—HLW_15
