How to Catch a Bogle

How to Catch a Bogle
by Catherine Jinks
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. 313 pgs. Fantasy

Birdie is glad to be a bogler's assistant, a step up for a London street urchin from toshing in the sewers or mudlarking on the banks of the Thames. Never mind that her job is to bait the trap to ensnare bogles, a catch-all name for any number of monsters: a shellycoat, a grindylow, or even a worricow. Alfred the Bogler is very careful of his young helper, as he has already lost one child to a bogle (all of whom love to eat children), and he doesn't aim to lose another one. Still, it is a risky proposition for Birdie to stand inside a circle of salt, one end open, and sing until the bogle enters the open end, then hop out the other. In this story, first in a trilogy, Alfred and Birdie make the acquaintance of a lady of quality who is interested in folk creatures, not quite imagining that they are real. Miss Eames, at first totally done in by her first experience with the mystical world, turns out to be a means of salvation for Albert and Birdie when they have a run in with a maniacal doctor who wants to capture bogles instead of destroying them. A brilliant Victorian fantasy, How to Catch a Bogle is frightening, thrilling, filled with wonderful, horrible, and memorable characters. It's going to be very hard to wait for the next installment.

Comments

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Enigma Girls

The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog