Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
This is a really good book! Some parts seemed kind of creepy, but definitely in a good way.
Twelve year old Clara Wintermute begs her father to allow her to let Professor Gaspare Grisini and his two assistants perform with their fantoccini (puppets) at her birthday party. The day after her party, Clara goes missing. Grisini's assistants, two orphan children named, Lizzie Rose, who is thirteen, and Parsefall, are questioned by the police because Grisini is suspected of kidnapping. After being questioned, they discover a new puppet in the trunk that looks just like Clara! Meanwhile Grisini seems to have disappeared as well. Parsefall wishes to continue doing puppet shows without Grisini and does so on his own, using the Clara look-alike puppet. When Clara's father Dr. Wintermute sees the puppet, Parsefall gets in trouble with the police and Lizzie Rose must find them somewhere else to stay. A letter from one of Grisini's acquaintances, Cassandra, come in the post, inviting them to stay with her. The children aren't sure about the invitation, but when it seems Parsefall may fall into deeper trouble with the "coppers", they pack up and leave. So the children come to live with a witch. Parsefall doesn't like Cassandra, and for some reason she wants one of them to steal a very valuable stone from her. With her help though, they might solve the mystery of what happened to Clara, and permanently be free from Grisini.
Cover picture courtesy of Google
Twelve year old Clara Wintermute begs her father to allow her to let Professor Gaspare Grisini and his two assistants perform with their fantoccini (puppets) at her birthday party. The day after her party, Clara goes missing. Grisini's assistants, two orphan children named, Lizzie Rose, who is thirteen, and Parsefall, are questioned by the police because Grisini is suspected of kidnapping. After being questioned, they discover a new puppet in the trunk that looks just like Clara! Meanwhile Grisini seems to have disappeared as well. Parsefall wishes to continue doing puppet shows without Grisini and does so on his own, using the Clara look-alike puppet. When Clara's father Dr. Wintermute sees the puppet, Parsefall gets in trouble with the police and Lizzie Rose must find them somewhere else to stay. A letter from one of Grisini's acquaintances, Cassandra, come in the post, inviting them to stay with her. The children aren't sure about the invitation, but when it seems Parsefall may fall into deeper trouble with the "coppers", they pack up and leave. So the children come to live with a witch. Parsefall doesn't like Cassandra, and for some reason she wants one of them to steal a very valuable stone from her. With her help though, they might solve the mystery of what happened to Clara, and permanently be free from Grisini.
Cover picture courtesy of Google
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