Author: Livi Michael
Pages: 404
Genre: Young Adult, Adventure, Fantasy
Book Description:
For Joe and Annie, the choice is escape or die. Manchester. That's where Joe's mom went after leaving him and his little sister at the workhouse. That's where you can have adventures and live life on your own terms—free from abusive Masters. Along the way Joe and Annie meet some kind strangers who offer help, but they also meet swindlers who want to control or even sell them. And no matter how hard he tries, Joe can't hide the fact that Annie is different in a way that makes people want to manipulate her for their own gain.
When Annie is embraced by the traveling fair as if she's family, Joe is resentful. So resentful that he leaves her behind. He loves running with the gang he joins, but evading the codgers who rule the street is dangerous. Joe might not make it long enough to get Annie back and find out what happened to their mother.
My Opinion:
Two children escape a workhouse where they were left by their mother. They must now learn to survive on their own in a big city!
What I first loved about this book was that it started in media res so that you're immediately thrown into the action. This hooked me straight away and proceeded to do this right until the end. The plot was full of mystery like Annie's powers and many unexpected twists. The ending was happy and I was so happy about this because the kids had been through such hard ship that they deserved some good fortune!
Similarly, the narrative was written in the perspective of Joe. This was really effective because the voice was realistic and spoke like a young child would. Most books are said to be in the perspective of a child but they say things adults would say - this isn't the case here which makes this so much more realistic. Joe treats his younger sister like a normal brother would; they argue and they laugh together and it just adds such a deeper meaning.
I loved the characters in this book. I really felt I was able to connect to them, and this wasn't just Joe and Annie but also Travis, Dog Woman and the other children he meets. They were really creative and I just enjoyed being a part of their journeys.
Overall this was a wonderful book. Even though it's written for children, I think some adolescents and people in the older generations would still like it (my Grandma is one of them!) Something I found interesting about this book is that it's based on a real story. The things that occurred in the workhouse actually happened and I just find that it was historically informative. I would definitely recommend this:)
Rating ★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars
Next book I'm going to review:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
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