The God of Mischief Mog Winter, her dog Lash, and her brother Nick, have all been sent to Kniveacres Hall to live with their great uncle, Sir Septimus Cloy. Though not particularly friendly to them, the household staff and town’s people seemed okay except for Bonefinger, the over-polite, over-dramatic servant of Sir Septimus. He and his sidekick Melibee, who is blind, roam the castle appearing at most inconvenient times from what seems to be the walls themselves. When Mog sees lights in Sir Septimus’ tower in the ungodly hours of the morning, she follows Bonefinger as he digs a hole near the walled garden and buries what seems to be a human body. It gets worse from there as Mog and Nick walk through the town, a gargoyle falls, almost killing Nick and at the castle of Kniveacres, a dumbwaiter almost beheads Mog. When the kids discover a cave with a secret tunnel that leads to an underground crypt, the story gets even weirder. They find a straw jester with a skull for a head who can move. As they escape the crypt using a secret door to the town church, they find the town is not only full of angry town’s people but also scarecrow mannequins dubbed the Guys. The Guys, though made to ward out evil spirits, seem creepy and watch from every street corner with lifeless eyes. When the kid’s governess appears to have hanged herself, Nick overhears Sir Septimus talking about the new governess, Mrs. Muggerage. He knows that he and Mog must escape the town. Can they further their quest to solve the mystery of their father and escape imprisonment, Mrs. Muggerage and death at the hands of Bonefinger or the mysterious Jester? Paul Bajoria writes even better in this second book of his career. “The God of Mischief” is a book that has all the elements of a mystery and an adventure story. This book is for ages 11 and up. Set amid the 19th century English countryside, “The God of Mischief” is an excellent novel. Be sure to read the first book of the series, “The Printer’s Devil.”
Reviewed by Spencer Zaborowski (age 13) for Reader Views (1/08) “The God of Mischief” by Paul Bajoriais is an extremely entertaining and magical book, about two twins named Imogen and Dominic (Mog and Nick for short), who lost their parents and became orphans at a young age. Then they were separated. Mog grew up in an orphanage, while Nick grew up on the deadly streets of London. If you want to read about how the grew up and found each other, then you would have to read the first book in this series, “The Printer’s Devil” by the same author. In this sequel, Nick and Mog are found to be living in the house of their great uncle, Sir Septimus Cloy. They spend a lot of time wandering the streets of the village, searching their big house, and hiding in the old village church. Soon bad things begin to happen: a gargoyle almost falls on Nick, a dumbwaiter almost smashes into Mog's head, and their governess, who was trying to help them, is found hanged in her room. Then they start to receive notes from an old protector named Damyata, and the kids think that he is watching over them once again. Are there supernatural forces at work in Sir Septimus Cloy's mansion, or is there a human explanation for all the dangerous activity? My favorite part was in the middle of the book, when the kids are in a crypt under the old church, and they find a scarecrow dressed as a jester with a human skull for a face. When Nick and Mog leave the church, they realize that they left their lamp inside the church. They went back into the church, and on the very same pew that they were sitting on several minutes before, sat the same Jester! It was very scary, because at that moment, the scarecrow turned its skull face and looked right at Nick and Mog! I really enjoyed “The God of Mischief” because it was very thrilling and full of surprises. There are funny parts as well, and you didn't know the explanation for all that happened until the last chapter. I was afraid that really horrible things would happen to the boys, and the book was hard to put down because I wanted to find out what would happen next. It was written as if the author was Mog, so you really felt that you were right there with Nick during all of their adventures. “The God of Mischief” is written for teens who love adventure stories, but who aren't afraid to read about dangerous situations. It's not for you if you tend to have nightmares! |
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