The story: Isaveth's father has been arrested for murder, but the girl knows he would never have done such a thing. She's trying to sell homemade magical wares to scrape up money to help the family get by when she runs into--or rather, is run over by--Quiz, a street boy whose unusual talents make Vettie think they might be able to find the real murderer. She's forgetting that things are never quite what they seem...and that the help that seems too good to be true usually is.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (murder, deception) PG; overall rating PG.
Liz's comments: I thought this was a great fantasy pick for middle school, even though the picture on the cover makes the kids look like they're ten (they're not--12 and 14 is more like it). I wished there had been a little more background info about the Moshite religion and why the family's belonging to it meant everyone else could ostracize them at will--but that notwithstanding, I thought the magic added a lot to a regular murder mystery was a lot of fun. Plus, there were sub-themes that were thought-provoking for an MS fantasy novel: religious persecution, grinding poverty, an entitled upper class and political discontent. Good stuff!
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