From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–Set on the English coast, Michael Merryweather's novel (Scholastic, 2006) follows 11-year-old twins, Jason and Julia, who've just moved into an old mansion on the British coast in which the title character once lived. Along with their new friend Rick, they uncover the secrets of a carved box found when Jason is rescued after a precarious fall off a nearby cliff. The only adult around is Nestor, the old caretaker, whose conversations with an unnamed person seem to point to Moore's continued presence. There are cryptic messages, unique keys, magical clay balls, and a strange door that their parents had covered. Once they open the door, they're on to dark tunnels, underground caverns, and an empty sailing ship moored in a lagoon with no visible outlet to the sea. Combining Jason's intuitions with Julia's boldness and Rick's pragmatism, the three overcome a variety of dangers and are about to be swept into a new time and place just as the book closes. Narrator Michael Page conveys the story's air of suspense and the personalities of the children. This is a real cliffhanger, and listeners will want to find out what happens in the next installment.–
Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
This text refers to an alternate
Audio CD
edition.
When pre-teen twins Julia and Jason move with their parents to an ancient house on the coast of England, they are at first intimidated by the huge manor and its secrets. But the previous occupant, enigmatic Ulysses Moore, left behind a series of clues that the kids find irresistible. Reader Michael Page deftly portrays the old caretaker, Nestor, as he allows Julia and Jason to unravel the mysteries with a school friend one day when the parents have gone into the city. Julia's voice is a bit wispy, but otherwise the children's voices are delightfully engaging. Unfortunately, audio readers miss the drawings and photographs that attempt to make the story a "real" mystery. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
