Splendors and Glooms

by Laura Amy Schlitz

Master puppeteer Grisini is so expert at manipulating his string-puppets that they seem alive. Spellbound by his act, Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, invites the puppeteer to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts. With caravan, puppets, and two orphaned assistants, Grisini makes his gaudy entrance. To Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, Clara seems to have everything they lack: adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara's life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. As they seek to puzzle out Clara's whereabouts, Lizze and Parse uncover Grisini's criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it's too late.

Genres: Fantasy

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2012

About the author

Laura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at The Park School in Brooklandville, Maryland.

She received the 2008 Newbery Medal for her children's book entitled Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village,[1] and the 2013 Newbery Honor for her children's book, Splendors and Glooms.[2] She also won the 2016 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the 2016 National Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Book Award for her young adult book, The Hired Girl. Her other published books are The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug For Troy (2006), A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama (2006), which won a Cybils Award that year, The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm (2007), The Night Fairy (2010).

Schlitz attended Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, and graduated in 1977.

Reviews

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Clara goes missing from her house, who is to blame but Lizzy Rose and Parsefall. Their master Grisini dissapers and leaves the kids alone. When the poliece are after them they go to mee Madama and inherit the house, but they stranggly find a puppet that looks exactly like Clara, this is the magic of Grisini. They travel to Madamas house where they learn about the fire opal but not the curse it bring with it. Then Parsefall tries to steal the fire opal with noone to save him from the curse but a puppet, Lizzy Rose, or his master who dispisus him.

[Whimseas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile to get interest in this book but it turned out to be quite good.

[Rebecca Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow to start but finished well.

[Imogen Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good YA book with a good level of magic vs realism, well written, engaging characters

[Carlyn Blount · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish there were more!!!