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Summary
Summary
The day Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, four thirteen-year-olds converge at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where an eccentric curator is seeking four uncommonly brave souls to track down the hidden pages of the Kelmsbury Manuscript, an ancient book of Arthurian legends that lies scattered within the museum's collection, and that holds the key to preventing a second attack on American soil.
When Madge, Joe, Kiku, and Walt agree to help, they have no idea that the Kelmsbury is already working its magic on them. But they begin to develop extraordinary powers and experience the feelings of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, and Lancelot- courage, friendship, love...and betrayal. Are they playing out a legend that's already been lived, over and over, across the ages? Or can the Metropolitans forge their own story?
Author Notes
Carol Goodman is the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, The Seduction of Water, The Drowning Tree, The Ghost Orchid, The Sonnet Lover, and The Night Villa. The Seduction of Water won the Hammett Prize, and others of her novels have been nominated for the Dublin/IMPAC Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her fiction has been translated into eight languages. She lives in New York State with her family.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Four children from different backgrounds arrive at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, each looking for something different. Since their mother's death, Madge and her brothers no longer live together, nor will they-at least not until her father finds a job. Kiku is the daughter of a Japanese museum curator. Sent to New York by his parents, Walt is a Jewish boy from Germany. Joe, a Mohawk boy, has run away from an abusive home. The foursome meet at the Met on the day Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese. Their meeting begins a fantastic adventure in which the kids are stronger together than individually. They work to collect a rare manuscript and stop a Nazi plot to devastate New York City. Kathleen McInerney's measured, appropriately dramatic narration is well paced and allows listeners to follow the complicated tale. Characters are differentiated and consistently voiced. Tension heightens as the tale comes to its breathtaking, if somewhat implausible, climax. The open ending may be just that-open-or an opportunity for a sequel. VERDICT Recommended for fans of historical fiction and adventure stories.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In the wake of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, four 13-year-olds must solve a series of riddles to track down a rare Arthurian manuscript in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and decode a message to prevent a Nazi strike on New York City. Scrappy Madge leads the diverse band of misfits, speaking in the distinct lingo of a radio-serial heroine ("Whaddya mean, Doc?"). At her side: German refugee Walt, who has an eidetic memory; Joe, a Mohawk boy with a gift for translation; and Japanese-American Kiku, who has special knowledge of the collection. Cultural and socioeconomic clashes among the four highlight racism and bias, as relevant then as now, but also help make them an effective team. Goodman (the Blythewood series) sprinkles a dash of the supernatural on the story, helping offset the harsh realities of war, homelessness, and alienation. The overarching message is one of hope-in order to defeat foes and overcome insecurities, the children must learn to trust each other and be willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Ages 10-up. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
While dealing with the turmoil of WWII and the recent Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, four kids Madge, Joe, Walt, and Kiku with the aid of the hidden pages of the Kelmsbury Manuscript about King Arthur, begin to break the coded message that will aid in keeping America safe from another vicious attack. But can they decipher it in time? As the evil-looking man they've dubbed Mr. January closes in, identical dreams draw them into the world of King Arthur, revealing each child's true capabilities. But all is not rosy: allies are soon questioned, trust is broken, and betrayal is forthcoming. Despite it all, they learn that being just kids doesn't mean they aren't capable of brilliance, love, and bravery indeed, they'll need all that and more to solve the code, retrieve their missing friends and family, and save New York City and her Lady Liberty! A finely constructed and quite often thrilling adventure story for middle-grade readers, with a historical setting and the added twist of medieval magic.--Oppelt, Meghan Copyright 2017 Booklist
