Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame

Gr 6–9—Fourteen-year-old twins Ophelia and Linus Easterday have gone to live in Kingscross with their Uncle Augustus and Aunt Portia, also twins, in their townhouse with an antiques and rare books shop on the ground floor. Exhilarating rumors surround the building's previous owner, Cato Grubb, a devious, mad scientist whose bizarre disappearance left all his belongings behind. The twins discover a secret laboratory in the attic, complete with bottles, potions, and interesting pictures on the floor. When Ophelia finds the book It's All Reality: Traveling Through "Imaginary" Realms in Five Easy Steps, the room begins to spin and then the living, breathing Quasimodo of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is in front of her. He must return to his world after 60 hours or he will be vaporized. Those hours go by extremely fast, and, despite the children's wish to show him around, they don't do much more than eat snacks. Ophelia discovers that she can summon up any fictional character, but only at special times, within specific limits. Although there is no buildup to the climax, the writing is reminiscent of Roald Dahl's style. However, the narrator often wears out his welcome with asides and definitions of words, which detracts from the flow of the story. At times, this fast-paced tale reads like an English lesson, but it will most likely find its way onto a reading list as it plays on a classic literary character.—Krista Welz, The North Bergen Public Library, NJ