Gabriel's Clock

July 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Jonathan Smith thought he was an average 12-year-old whose parents moved a lot. After faceless demons in bowler hats attack his family, he regains consciousness in a quaint English village and comes face to face with some family secrets. His father is an angel, his mother is a devil, and Jonathan is the only child known to exist from such a union. In Hobbes End, he is under the protection of Gabriel, his grandfather. He lives with the vicar and Grimm, his gargantuan tea-drinking, head-bashing major domo. Jonathan meets Cay, a girl his own age, whose parents have a paranormal secret of their own. Despite the protections of Hobbes End, the bowler-hatted baddies track him down. Their aim is to deliver him to their boss, Belial, who will use Jonathan to gain control of Heaven. The dark tones are cut by amusing moments with Elgar, a wisecracking cat, and two gargoyles who banter as they stand guard. The story mixes action with religious themes and some bloody violence (eyes poked out, an arm ripped off). The epilogue promises more books to come. A good choice for readers looking for fantasy built on a framework of scripture.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

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