The Secret of Castle Cant

October 18, 2004
Laughs abound in the pages of Bath's delightful debut fantasy. In the "admittedly hard to find" Barony of Cant, the orphaned Lucy Wickwright works as a servant to the hilariously inept Pauline, heir to the throne in a land where all the politicians embrace "the noble pastime of chewing gum." While on a visit to the chief astronomer, Luigi Lemonjello (a man who "was quite content never to set his foot on the ground"), Lucy is mistaken for a member of the Cause, a rebellion that blames all of society's ills on gum chewing. The astronomer taps Lucy to deliver money to the imprisoned freedom fighter Arden Gutz, who in turn convinces her to retrieve his confiscated, unpublished manifesto on the evils of gum. The larger story reveals Lucy's mysterious past and her connection to the royal family of Cant. These ties put her in the sights of the evil Vladimir Orloff ("the foul enemy of our glorious Cause," according to Arden Gutz), who is jockeying for the throne and has secrets of his own. Bath weaves together these threads into a satisfying plot twist. The politicians' addiction to exotic, imported gum works well as political satire and also sheer silliness, and the author nimbly balances British-tinged comedy with medieval-flavored court intrigue even as he sets his tale in the present (Lucy sports T-shirts and blue jeans). Readers will hope that the ending points to a sequel. Ages 10-14.

Although this is an adventure for children, plenty of scenes will make adult listeners chuckle. The story takes place is the tiny barony of Cant, where the national pastime is chewing wads of gum. Kerin McCue effectively portrays the opposing personalities of the two main characters, 11-year-old orphan and maidservant Lucy Wickwright and her 10-year-old mistress, Pauline, the daughter of the Baron of Cant. McCue renders Lucy as wise beyond her years and a tender caregiver to the haughty and spoiled Pauline. As the two are thrown into a perilous adventure, McCue takes on distinctive voices for the array of villagers--both friends and enemies of the girls. K.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine