It's 1870, and London is overrun with bogles. So much so that Alfred Bunce, the resident Go-Devil Man from How to Catch a Bogle--who changed abodes so he could live a quiet life--re-enters the field in this fast-paced follow-up.
Alfred can kill bogles with a spear and a circle of salt. Jem Barbary knows that Alfred doesn't want to bogle anymore. But Mabel Lillimere says a bogle ate her scullery maid. Then Hugh Purdy fears a bogle on his roof. Mr. Froome's bogle inhabits the church crypt, and Mrs. Kerridge's bogle haunts the boys' school. All of them appeal to Jem to track down the bogle-catchers, and Jem knows if Alfred doesn't get rid of the monsters, more kids will die. A one-time thief and pickpocket, Jem wants to be a bogler's apprentice--just like Birdie McAdam used to be, before Miss Eames took her in and dressed her up real fancy. A bogler's apprentice can walk with "a swagger in his step" and "a steady wage in his pocket." But bogles eat children, and the job of an apprentice is to act as bait, all the while keeping his wits and staying out of harm's way.
With the help of Alfred, Birdie and Miss Eames, Jem needs to find out what's going on, and quickly, before he loses his nerve. With plenty of action and lively storytelling, this companion book neatly wraps up current problems, while keeping readers hooked and waiting for the third book. --Lynn Becker, host of Book Talk, the monthly online discussion of children's books for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators