April 10, 2005
YA47: Montmorency
Everyone was talking about this one in class, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was interesting, well written, hard to put down, and refreshingly different from the other YA ones.
Montmorency: thief, liar, gentleman?
Eleanor Updale
Orchard Books, 2003
233 pages
When a petty thief falls through a glass roof trying to escape from the police, what should have been the death of him marks the beginning of a whole new life. He soon becomes the most elusive burglar in Victorian London, adopting a dual existence as both a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency, and his degenerate servant Scarper who prowls the newly built city sewers (London, 1875).
The Amazon review writes that, "Middle school fans of John Bellairs, Lemony Snicket, and Philip Pullman, will delight in plowing through the cliff hanging pages of Montmorency. Updale's prose is clear and plot-driven, full of the kind of fascinating detail about the quirky Victorian thief's dual existence that young mystery readers adore. And, with a sequel coming in 2005, they won't groan too loudly at the wide open, although wholly satisfying ending." School Library Journal explains that, "Peculiarly enough, Updale's seamless historical novel contains no true adolescent characters. Yet the transitional stages of Montmorency's entry into society and evolving sense of self-discovery resemble the paths taken by many famous teen protagonists. Readers will find themselves drawn not only to Montmorency's compellingly bizarre biography, but also to his clever and mischievous nature that eventually leads him to both a realization of his past wrongs and a valid career where he can put his "best" skills to good use." From Booklist: "It's tough to pinpoint the target audience, though--some readers will react negatively to the absence of characters their own age, and find the abundant period details overly fussy (in one scene, Montmorency lingers over the subtle flavors of whisky). This will appeal the most to older kids who enjoy immersing themselves in historical atmosphere, including some adult devotees of Victorian detective fiction."
Grade 6-10
The sequel has been nominated for the 2005 Best Books for Young Adults:
Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency on the Rocks: Doctor, Aristocrat, Murderer?
Scholastic/Orchard Books, 2005. $16.95. (0-439-60676-4).