The Architect

by Jonathan Starrett

There’s a golden rule in Phantom City: “No one about when the Zeppelin is out.” But one night, twelve-year-old Charlie Crane comes face-to-face with the Zeppelin, and instead of finding trouble, she is awakened.

Determined to find the truth in a city plagued with lies, Charlie, along with a quirky band of unlikely heroes, works to free the people of Phantom City from the clutches of a shadowy, evil villain. Helped by a mysterious Architect who only communicates over radio and telephone, Charlie wrestles with two big questions: Can she trust a guide she can't see? And is the truth actually worth the trouble?

Filled with sinister schemes, bumbling superheroes, unexpected friendships, and plenty of humor and plot twists, The Architect keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Boys and girls alike will be fascinated by the unique world of Phantom City, with its steampunk and Gotham City–type elements and will quickly find themselves cheering for our heroes in their fight against evil.

Genres: Middle Grade, Christian

240 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2023

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 2 out of 5]

About this book:

“There's a golden rule in Phantom City: "No one about when the Zeppelin is out." But one night, twelve-year-old Charlie Crane comes face-to-face with the Zeppelin, and instead of finding trouble, she is awakened.
Determined to find the truth in a city plagued with lies, Charlie, along with a quirky band of unlikely heroes, works to free the people of Phantom City from the clutches of a shadowy, evil villain. Helped by a mysterious Architect who only communicates over radio and telephone, Charlie wrestles with two big questions: Can she trust a guide she can't see? And is the truth actually worth the trouble?
Filled with sinister schemes, bumbling superheroes, unexpected friendships, and plenty of humor and plot twists, The Architect keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Boys and girls alike will be fascinated by the unique world of Phantom City, with its steampunk and Gotham City-type elements and will quickly find themselves cheering for our heroes in their fight against evil.”


Series: As of now, no.


Spiritual Content- This book has a slight allegory in it with “The Architect” (being God), his Blueprint of Tomorrow ((plan) which some believe is a hope for a better tomorrow, but is also called a bedtime story for children), trusting him, finding the Truth, & waking up to find it; 'H's are not capital when referring to the Architect; The Architect talks to both Charlie & Sneed; Charlie has the mission to tell the truth and have others learn about the Architect; *Spoiler* The physical form of the Architect is a balloon salesman called “Patches” who belches once, but is decent help for Charlie and the rest of the group *End of Spoiler*; A couple mentions of some thinking it’s foolish to entrust your destiny to someone they’ve never met; A mention of praying;
*Note: The mastermind of the deception is called “the Projectionist” who wants to take everyone’s future and conquer the Architect; Seeing the Cardinal (superhero) punish the criminal/villain “Father Foul” and punches a hole in the confessional box while commenting “Father, forgive me, I have committed a…Cardinal sin.”; A mention of the phrase ‘thank my lucky stars’; A mention of the phrase ‘hocus-pocus’; Mentions of a villain being dressed as a wizard & telling people to “despair at my dark magic”; Mentions of a lucky penny; A couple mentions of devilish smiles; A mention of someone looking like a magician; A mention of someone looking ghostly; A mention of an angel; A mention of a superhero saying that he’s someone’s guardian angel; A mention of Santa Claus; A mention of a fairy elf.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘heck’, a ‘hooey’, a ‘moron’, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shoddy’, a ‘shucks’, two ‘dum-dum’s, two ‘dummy’s, two ‘jerk’s, two ‘turd’s, three ‘dumb’s, four ‘yeesh’s, five ‘dope’s, five forms of ‘idiot’, five forms of ‘shut up’, nine ‘stupid’s, and ten forms of ‘what/how in blazes’; Exclamations like ‘good grapes’ and ‘good gravy’ are said; Name calling (from adults to kids, adults to other adults, and kids to kids) with words like ‘baby’, ‘Bozo’, ‘dope’, ‘dumb’, ‘dum-dum’, ‘dummy’, ‘featherbrain’, ‘idiot’, ‘jerk’, ‘moron’, ‘stupid’, & ‘wench’; A child with glasses is called ‘Four-Eyes’ sixteen times by an adult (even though he’s asked him not to called him that); The phrase “for the love of all that is good and decent” is said once; A mention of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Disrespect for authority & mocking others (some of the adults in this story aren’t good influences or good people); Wanting to push a villain over the edge to their death & being pushed yourself (up to semi-detailed); Being threatened with harm, being shot, & death (adults to kids); Being choked, being kicked/beaten (both by adults to children), fighting, knocking others out, pain, & causing pain for others (by grabbing their arm (twice), barely-above-not-detailed); Being shoved into a trunk (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing fights, explosions, a fire, & others being knocked out (up to semi-detailed); Charlie is zapped by the Zeppelin balloon & passes out (painful, up to semi-detailed); There is a green gas/fog released (by an authority) that makes people forget their memories & it used on others on purpose when they find out too much; A villain says he has killed people to get others to listen to him; Mentions of the Zeppelin (a doomsday blimp) that sucks up victims in its tractor beam & how no one has survived it (either abducted or killed, based on rumors); Mentions of slaves (those who have been affected with the green gas and have lost their memories) that are forced to make more of the gas (including being chained up) & being haunted by seeing it happen in front of you; Mentions of crimes & criminals (including a knight fight & stolen purse); Mentions of grenades, bombs, explosions, weapons (tommy guns), & gunshots; Mentions of injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of killing & deaths/dying; A few mentions of the smell of a dead cat in a dumpster (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of blowing raspberries (at people and as pranks, including by Charlie); A couple mentions of adults slapping other adults; A couple mentions of the “superhero” dunking a villain into a public toilet; A couple mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of possibly drowning; A mention of murder mystery books; A mention of jail; A mention of a bully; A mention of alcohol; A mention of diarrhea; A mention of poop; A mention of a dog peeing; A mention of someone wetting their pants; A mention of someone going potty in their pants; A mention of needing a new pair of underwear after a scare; A mention of the sound of passing gas; A mention of creating rude noises from a balloon; A mention of a belch;
*Note: When a villain is knocked out and someone asks if they’re alive, someone else says “I think so, unfortunately”; A few mentions of Sinatra; A couple mentions of Little Caesar pizza; A mention of Bigfoot; A mention of Halloween.


Sexual Content- An 11-year-old newsboy called Charlie ‘baby’, ‘sweetheart’, & ‘dollface’; A man tells a woman that his longs for her “warmth and companionship”; A few mentions of an 11-year-old boy saying he can’t die because he’s never kissed a girl; A mention of a damsel in distress kissing her hero; A mention of seeing a couple kiss;
*Note: Sneed kicks a man between his legs to be able to get away from him; A couple phrases are said (“slap my bottom and call me a baby boy” and “butter my buns and call me a biscuit”); Mentions of the superhero (The Cardinal) wearing his underwear over his tights (there is also an illustration showing him like this) & Charlie teasing him about it (an adult yells at her saying that it’s body armor); A mention of someone saying (after being sat on) that he was too close to the other’s butt; A mention of someone’s outfit being stained with sweat “in all the worst places”.

-Charlie Crane, age 12
P.O.V. switches between Charlie, Sneed, & others
240 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Two Stars
My personal Rating- One Star (and a half)

{ Those in Public School & used to reading secular books may enjoy it more. }
This was…interesting.

And I mean “interesting” in a way that I don’t have the most positive feelings on this middle-grade release. To be honest, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it when I was in the target market and I wouldn’t give it to my own kids one day.

But first, some positives:
I like the message of digging into things because things aren’t always what they seem. I liked the allegory, which is a bit shocking, I know, as I’m typically quite fussy, I’ll admit, about allegories. It worked well with the message of waking up and seeing what’s going on around you.

Now my not-so-positive notes:
My main problems with this book would be the lots of unexpected name calling (including adults to kids), potty-humor, and disrespect for authorities/adults. These elements really soured the story for me. Had it been less frequent or even not there at all, I believe I would have enjoyed it much more. The unique setting of steampunk meets superheroes meets kids trying to save the world was an interesting combination and I don’t know how well it worked. The pacing was rushed in parts that it should have been developed and explained more…had it been so, it could have been a better 300+ paged story that set the stage for all the details for a reader to feel more immersed into the plot.

It kinda just felt…silly. Now, truthfully, this could be because I’m out of the target market. I wish I had liked this one more as there isn’t much Christian Fiction for middle grade readers being published these days.


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...



*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Tyndale) for this honest review.

[Lou Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: Story content 9/10 Christian faith content 3/3
The Architect by Jonathan Starrett is a Christian middle-grade book. The story combines historical, dystopian, superhero, mystery and suspense genres.

The book follows an orphan girl called Charlie, who lives in Phantom City (a bit like Gotham city with Zeppelins). The era felt like 1920s/1930s New York.

Charlie has always been told that Zeppelins are dangerous and must be avoided at all costs. However, when she encounters one, she sees a bright light, and this experience changes everything. She starts questioning what is really going on in the world and who the mysterious Architect is.

First of all, I want to say thank you to Tyndale House Publishers. I requested a free copy of this book through NetGalley, and they kindly allowed me to have an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a fun read, with plenty of Christian parallels.

The mix of genres took me a while to get used to, but when I did, I loved it. The world is both historical and a little dystopian. The story involves superheroes as well as a mystery to be solved.

I loved the quirkiness of this book and its characters, particularly the children. They developed throughout the story and were the main drivers of the plot.

I particularly liked the faith contained in the story, which was allegorical. Reading this as a Christian, I noticed many themes such as salvation, redemption, God’s plan for our lives, evangelism, reaching the lost, working as a team, church, second chances, and sacrifice.

I believe this book could be a good resource for parents or teachers wanting to start conversations with children about the Christian faith.

I would definitely be interested in reading the sequel to The Architect in the future.

[Sara Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

** “But deception can only hide the truth, never conquer it.” **

Jonathan Starrett delivers a fun story about truth for children of all ages with “The Architect.”

Phantom City seems to be cursed by a mysterious zeppelin that appears, supposedly leaving the city’s residents in a state of fogginess and forgetfulness, until one night Charlie Crane wakes up to the reality of what’s happening.

With the help of a unique gang — paperboy Fitz, film director J.W. Macaw and his assistant Violet, Sneed who lives undergound, and the quirky balloon salesman Patches — they set out to determine who The Architect is and is he good or bad.

What follows is a zany romp that brings this odd group together to save the city.

Starrett does a great job of creating an eclectic cast of characters that readers will love to love and love to hate. He also fills “The Architect” with several great themes, like you can make a difference if you do the right thing; you’ll miss the fun of the journey if you worry too much about the destination; the truth is always worth the trouble; and deception will never conquer truth.

Five stars out of five.

Tyndale House Publishers provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one very much! The characters were so different from each other, and their true motivations were never clear, which makes it interesting to read. The premise results so important to discuss and it's presented in a way that most kids will understand. It keeps a fast pace nad it never gets boring. Very enjoyable read!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story! Can’t wait for more.

[Savannah Prescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan does an incredible job of drawing you into a story with captivating characters, while sharing the story of the gospel through hidden meanings!! This is book you could read over and over again!! I can’t wait to see if he writes a sequel!

[Jess (GJ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Tyndale Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Starrett is talented at building the atmosphere of a gothic noir, similar to "Batman: The Animated Series". Instead of spending pages and pages describing everything, Starret keeps a narrow focus on the world as our leads experience it and it works so well. He also made sure to keep it light with quippy, loveable characters.

I loved Charlie, the curious girl with an attitude and spirit, and the group she slowly builds along her journey. I expected more one-off characters but thankfully, nearly everyone we meet is a key player in the story. Also, thank you, Starrett, for keeping a small cast. I'm terrible at remembering names and I was afraid I'd get a whole phonebook of names thrown at me.

I enjoyed how sparse the character descriptions were. Starrett deftly described the characters' mannerisms and personalities in a way that lets you build the character. If you imagined Violet or Patch to be a BIPOC person, nothing really contradicts that mental picture.

The story is simple enough for kids but without talking down to them. It's a good balance of questions ended so that you don't need a sequel but has enough untied strings for a second book.

That said, as I read the books, I had some head-scratching moments that I ignored. Then I got to the end and read Starrett's bio and yep, he's a pastor. With that new lens, the parallels are striking. A person daring to seek out the truth and wake up the world, a mysterious figure guiding out our heroes from the shadows, the emphasis of trust? Yeah, that's kinda Jesus-y

But those are also just the trappings of the genre! Pulps and simple "Battle of good and evil" tales lend to simple storytelling. The dark world in which lies prevail, the figure in the shadow hoping someone would as the right question, the ending in which the people are left to find the answers on their own? There are so many dystopian stories with that idea! "Even "V For Vendetta" share similar tropes as this, and Alan Moore is an Anarchist AND an occultist. And also a warlock???

Personally, I read this book through the lens of the bored billionaires who wish to use their money for their vanity projects rather than actually helping people.

I mostly warn because I want my readers to have full knowledge of what they're getting. If I had to rank it among other Jesus allegory tales, it's more overt than Phantom Menace but less than the Narnia books. In the end, I didn't feel like the message was "DRAW CLOSE TO JESUS!!" but to seek out the truth and do the right thing, no matter how hard it is. Which is a message that I can get behind.

Overall, this was an enjoyable adventure story. I give it 4 stars.



TW: Kidnapping, guns, slavery, child abuse, violence, gaslighting, brief suicidal ideation

[Jennie Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical story for kids these days! This book is set in a steam punk world/city. Charlie is a street kid who decides to search for the truth after some strange things happen to her. Is it worth the trouble to find the truth? Read it and find out! Probably best for kids 4th grade and up, in my opinion.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

So, at the beginning of this book, I had no idea where it was going and that was fun. We’ve got a spunky main character in Charlie who lives in Phantom City as an orphan. She lives on the streets and has no memories of her family. There’s also a zeppelin that flies through the sky and everyone is afraid of it.

This was a fun, quick read. I appreciated the characters and there are quite a few of them. A hero named the Cardinal, a clown named Patches, Roscoe the newsie and Everette Sneed, another orphan boy who lives a bit rougher life than the others. And then there’s the Architect, the rumored man in the zeppelin.

Following so many characters, not all of them stand off the page as the others. And there were a few parts in later chapters that felt a bit head-hoppy. I went from one line to the next and was surprised because were were in a different character’s head all of a sudden.

Each chapter has art associated with it which I adored. It’s very art deco and if you’ve played the first or second Bioshock game then you’ll know what it looks like. You get to see the characters, some of the environment, it was a fun addition.

However, it’s also where my biggest problem comes in.

None of the characters are described much. Charlie, we know, has blond hair because Roscoe calls her blondie. And that’s it. The art gives us our biggest look at her. So she’s white. Everette Sneed at first, is a bit of a villain. I felt so bad for this kid. When the artwork shows him, he looks Black.

He’s the only character with attributes drawn in a way that makes him read as Black. So he’s the only person of color and suffers sort of the most abuse in the book. That didn’t sit well with me. He has a great character arc but still, it felt icky.

Now, the author lives in Tampa Florida. Guess what, I know for a fact there are tons of Black, Brown, Hispanic and Latine people here. So for him to sort of ignore that in his work and make one character Black and have him be a villain and get the most suffering was something that did not sit well with me.

The writing is good, it’s easy to read. The characters feel young. There were portions where, while I wasn’t exactly bored, I wasn’t exactly interested. And some parts seemed to happen just a little too easily.

With all that, I’m giving this a three out of five (3 out of 5). Would recommend it though. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phantom City has lived under a cloud. Every day is gray and gloomy. They have their local hero, the Cardinal to save them from threats. But there's something fishy about the Cardinal's heroics. They are also warned each night, "No one about when the Zeppelin is out." But when street girl Charlie is caught in the Zeppelin's spotlight suddenly she finds herself thinking more clearly than she has in months. And she starts to remember her home. The driver of the Zeppelin, the Architect, starts directing Charlie to uncover secrets about Phantom City and the memory-erasing fog that is released every night.

This feels like a mix of a classic 1940s black and white mystery film, old timey superhero adventures, and City of Ember (not in plot really, just feel and the dystopian-ness). There's also an element of Christian allegory cleverly done for those with eyes to see it that will give Christian families and/or school classrooms some depths to uncover and talk about. It's a high action adventure of uncovering the truth and freeing people who are being held in bondage, and it's packed with very memorable characters. The vocabulary is quite high for a middle grade adventure, using some early 1900s vocabulary/slang (like papes...I got the feeling that Starrett is a Newsies musical fan from some of the newspaper boys' lines) and that vocab may make it a challenging read for elementary readers...probably more middle school level, or a good read aloud so an adult can explain things if they have questions. I enjoyed the story and it gripped me from the get go. I felt swept up in the atmospheric world Starrett created, and I know I will have readers who will really enjoy this. This says it is book 1 in a series, but the story felt complete enough and wrapped up enough it could be read as a stand alone.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content beyond a stage kiss. There are perilous circumstances and serious threats but everyone ends up ok. There is some slavery and city-wide drugging going on, but it is kept middle grade appropriate in how serious this is portrayed.

[Sandy Sandmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the distinct honor of having known Jonathan Starrett for many years. To say that he's talented is an understatement. When he was the youth leader of our church, vacation Bible school (VBS) was nothing like you remember and it was aptly names, "Summer Explosion". I do actually remember a real explosion at least once. I got to see The Architect as it was played out on the stage, a few years ago. And, if I'm completely honest, I didn't understand what was going on because I came in on the end of the week of presentations, so I was really glad to read the whole book to get the whole story.

This is the story of Charlie, a homeless twelve year old girl in Phantom City, and a ragtag group that discover a huge secret that will change not only their lives but that lives of everyone in Phantom City. They've all grown up with the fable of the Blueprint of Tomorrow, a story about The Architect, who designs their destinies on a drafting table. But when The Architect actually speaks to Charlie, the artful deception that everyone has been living in starts to clear and the truth becomes apparent.

This fast-paced story written for middle schoolers clips along at a pace to keep even the busiest of kids intrigued and occupied until they can finish. Even I was glued to my tablet to get to the finale.

The Architect is an allegorical story about God and how he cares for each of His children and guides them for the wonderful life He has planned for them. I think your children will enjoy this book a great deal.

[Susanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled a lot with this one. For a middle grade book, it was overly complicated. The plot was all over the place and mostly relied on coincidences. The world seemed like a 1930s America, and then TVs and computers were added to the mix. And I couldn’t get a hang of the characters who all seemed like charicatures from cheesy TV series. Charlie seemed much too old for a twelve-year-old, though I mostly liked her.

Since I’m not tuned to it, I missed the Christian allegories other reviewers point out. I’m not a fan of such books in general, but I think there must be easier ways to get the message through than this book.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, and certainly appropriate for middle grade readers. As an adult, it felt like it came right out of an Alan West's Batman era, feeling (and reading) hastily thrown together and slapstick-ish. Just not as well-crafted as similar stories for this age group.

The religious overtone isn't in your face (think Narnia-style), and honestly if I wasn't familiar with the publisher, I probably (as an adult Christian) wouldn't have made the connection. I do like the idea of The Architect vs The Projectionist and their roles and positions in the society.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale for the advanced copy of this book.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Architect is an allegorical story about searching for and sharing truth.

The characters were fun. While they leaned more toward caricatures than rounded-out characters, the caricature feeling worked with the story. And some of the characters were very fun. :)

As I said above, The Architect is allegorical, but the plot didn't feel preachy or predictable. It was a fun read. The setting had a nice blend of the familiar and the different.

Cautions: one instance of 'coarse' language; brief rude humor

[Cal Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good story and well-written overall. There's a lot of humor in this book (A good bit of which is potty humor fyi) and it's definitely hit-or-miss in terms of how it lands. The Christian allegory is quite on-the-nose, very akin to Chronicles of Narnia. The only real issue I have is that some of the main characters feel a bit flat and the aforementioned misses in the humor. Otherwise, it's a a solid read. Definitely recommend it, particularly for young adults.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little allegory. Underlying messaging is to not take things at facevalue and seek the truth for oneself.

I found the story a bit silly and cheesy with some unexpected potty-humor. It's a little hyperbolic with the old Hollywood dialogue, and puns. Very superhero-noir.

It was cute and wholesome. It will definitely appeal to kids.

[yourfellowbookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS SUCH A GREAT READ! Super light and fluffy story which can be quite refreshing, amazing characters, and beautiful metaphors to Christianity that were masterfully crafted. I loved this book and hope for more in the series!

[Karen Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

My teen granddaughter read this with me. She (and I both) enjoyed the storyline and the world the story was set in. However her main criticism was the way the characters treated / spoke to each other. Apparently she considered there was bullying, unkindness and at times it made her cringe.

[Batilda Rabbitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Heavy handed christian allegory

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

DID NOT FINISH

I hate to say it but I quit reading at page 70. I found it to be incredibly boring as well as incredibly preachy. Charlie “woke up” and needed to wake up the rest of the city.

[Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me :/

[Judah Dillingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how it was like a fantasy book and a Christian book like Narnia.

[Christina Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world has gone topsy turvy in Jonathan Starrett’s “The Architect,” and an unwitting heroine by the name of Charlie Crane will need to work with a host of ragtag characters to try and defeat the villain of the story. Taking place in a hodgepodge of time references - think Zeppelins, silent film, and computers, the setting is rich for a broad multi-plot arc, allowing for playful language use and stereotypical characters from another age. The main plot is easy to follow and the characters easy to remember, making this a good middle-grade read, however, the characters come off a bit superficially developed and lack a certain depth that leads to a feeling of greater connection with the reader. As a collage of time periods - belle époque, art nouveau, art deco, paired with modern technologies the setting, language, and characterization often feel disjointed. As an adult with experience studying those particular time periods, it was easy enough for me to pick out cultural, historical, and linguistic references, I’m not sure how the average ten-year-old would do and how much motivation they would have to stick through the book with so many unknowns. Finally, after reading the bio for the author, many of the premises made more sense. Starrett, as a children’s pastor and writer is looking to connect children to Christian ideals and beliefs. The notion of faith comes across strongly throughout the novel, along with rather nebulous characters representing good and evil. If you are looking for a Christian-minded read for your child, this might be a good fit for you. I enjoyed a lot of the story and the setting, but overall, it wasn’t a novel that I would recommend to everyone. 

Teacher Tips

* Discussions around historical fiction and the use of historical references

* Hero study - analysis of superhero genre

* Tropes and stereotypes - identify and analyse in the story