Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery, & a Very Strange Adventure: 08/22/16

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans was originally published in the UK as Small Change for Stuart — a much better fitting for the book and main character. For more on my feelings on the disservice done to American children by the alterations to imported English language fiction, please read Stop Americanizing imported English language books.

The once titular character is a boy named Stuart Horten. He has the unfortunately luck of being short and having a name that can be abbreviated to S.Horten. That combo has lead to lots of teasing. Now he's facing the big unknown of a new town since he and his parents (a surgeon and a crossword puzzle author) have moved to the old family town of Beeton.

Straightaway Stuart is drawn into an old family scavenger hunt, one that's obviously been neglected and unsolved for decades. The clues are tied to the late uncle Tony Beeton's factory where gear based devices were once made — like the old mechanical piggy banks.

I must admit that I figured out the big plot twist early in the book. It doesn't matter. It's a fun and a rewarding book. I enjoyed all the old (albeit fictional versions) of late Victorian mechanical devices. That's of course my own experience as the daughter of an antiques dealer coming through.

Five stars

Comments (0)