The Mourning Emporium

July 1, 2012
After thwarting the supernaturally malevolent Bajamonte Tiepolo's plan for Venice's annihilation in The Undrowned Child (2011), Teodora and her friend Lorenzo again find themselves, and the city, targets of destruction. The labyrinthine plot unfurls with Venice gripped by fresh terrors--an icy flood kills many, including Renzo's mother; illness spreads; children disappear. Renzo is pressed onto the Scilla, a ship converted to shelter orphan boys; Teo, impersonating one, joins him. The resurgent Tiepolo's allies include an exiled lord sailing from Australia to claim the dying Queen Victoria's throne and the villainous Miss Uish. Impersonating the Queen's emissary, Uish assumes command of the Scilla, sets sail for London, and turns her child crew into unwilling pirates en route. Lovric again produces teeming subplots and an elaborate typology of subhuman abettors of both evil and good. The titular Emporium figures incidentally, during the London convergence halfway through; that funereal marketplace hosts a crowd of gritty street kids who trade work for overnights in the coffins. While Teo's adoptive parents (abducted scientists conscripted to design a submarine for Tiepolo) endow that escape vehicle with a fatal flaw, this picaresque stew ends with another voluminous sequel clearly telegraphed. This steampunk-ish tome--rife with Victorian bilge water and colossal squid gore--will best serve those who enjoyed the first. (author's note; "What's Real and What's Made Up?") (Fantasy. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-This tongue-in-cheek, quirky sequel to The Undrowned Child (Delacorte, 2011) begins promisingly. Teodora Gasperin becomes aware that evil Tiepolo is back as Venice is invaded by ice and floods. As Teo joins her friend Renzo on a floating orphanage for boys, it becomes clear that Tiepolo's plot is wide-ranging, involving the destruction of Venice, the usurpation of the British throne once Queen Victoria has died, the use of monsters such as the Vampire Eel, and the kidnapping of scientists. While the writing is often inventive and interesting, and the tone at times appealingly slapstick, the characters are less so, with the exception of the exceedingly nasty Miss Uish. The London scenes are vividly described, but the street dialect of the homeless children will be a challenge for American readers. The plot is exciting but the many byways sometimes add up to a meandering feeling. This novel will mostly be enjoyed by fans of the first book.Sue Giffard Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.