Gregory Funaro's debut novel presents a winning magical adventure populated by fairies and sirens in a world where the "odd was the ordinary." Grubb, who narrates, is an erstwhile chimney sweep and "the boy who caused all the trouble."
Grubb is a foundling, beaten, starved and forced to work at a young age by his horrible foster father. He escapes by stowing away in Alistair Grim's carriage, and immediately finds himself in a world like no other. Grim's Odditorium brims with magical beings who emit an "eerie blue light" from their eyes. Samarai, servants, even a talking pocket watch named McClintock, are all powered by the mysterious blue animus that seems to exist only in the Odditorium. But then a bit of that animus escapes when McClintock hitches a ride in Grubb's coat and is stolen by a gang of young thieves. Suddenly, shadowy doom dogs go on the attack, followed by the fire-spitting Black Fairy and evil Prince Nightshade. Mr. Grim is forced to take the entire Odditorium and escape through a hole in the sky.
Pleasantly cryptic mysteries abound in Funaro's tale, the first in a planned series. Many of the characters have uncertain origins, and the author reveals the workings of the Odditorium slowly, as needed. Funaro ratchets up the tension when Grubb is captured and thrown into Prince Nightshade's dungeons. The young chimney sweep proves to be brave, honest and resourceful--and he may well be all that stands between Alistair Grim's Odditorium and doom. --Lynn Becker, host of Book Talk, the monthly online discussion of children's books for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators