by Stefan Bachmann
Flap Copy Description:
Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.
In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings - Peculiars - and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.
One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley - Bartholomew forget the rules and gets himself noticed.
First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish...and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.
My Thoughts:
The Peculiar is a recently-released upper middle grade novel that has created quite a buzz! A gothic fantasy adventure full of magic, mystery, and even murder; it is set on the narrow cobblestone streets of steampunk England. The story features a host of faeries, goblins, automatons, and changeling children and is written in stellar style. The debut author - Stefan Bachmann - is a story himself. He began writing this novel when he was sixteen...two years ago! He is a musician, and lives with his family in Zurich, Switzerland, where he attends the Zurich Conservatory. This is an author to keep your eye on. I would recommend his novel - The Peculiar - to readers from the age of ten and up.
To learn more about the extraordinary author - Stefan Bachmann - click here: http://www.stefanbachmann.com/home.php
