25 May 2012

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Title: Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms
Author: Lissa Evans
ISBN: 978-1-4027-9806-1
Copyright: 2012

Everything about Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms feels old.  Not old in a bad way, but in a classic and intriguing manner.  Lissa Evans wrote an intriguing plot full of quirky characters who interact, and don't interact in some surprising ways. 

Stuart Horten or S.Horten as people often refer to him is an unusually small ten year old boy.  In fact he comes from a family of unusually small, and unusually tall relatives.  When his parents decide to move back to his fathers home town of Beeton Stuart is faced with a profound problem, living in a new town at the beginning of summer vacation where he doesn't know a single soul.

His parents (being parents) don't see the problem.  His father makes crossword puzzles and speaks using rather large words.

"Ah, there you are.  I was just thinking of going for a brief perambulation.  Would you like to come too?" Stuart answered, "Oh all right, then"

By "brief perambulation," his father meant a short walk.  That was the way he talked all the time, and he always spoke in a  loud, clear voice, so that people in the street turned and stared at him."

 As the story progresses Stuart learns that he has a great-uncle who is missing (and a former magician) his house is about to be demolished (rather mysteriously), the neighbors are triplet girls who snoop about, and the telephone with the receiver that isn't even connected seems to always work when the library is calling. 

Check this brand new book out today in order to find out how Stuart's summer progresses and whether or not he is able to track down his missing great-uncle.

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