A Newbery Honor winner book set in the Victorian Era. The streets, smells, sounds and dangers of London come to life through Schlitz’s use of imagery. Schlitz’s writes a novel that is pieced together by the retelling of the different character’s lives. Fate, mystery, and magic bring together three grief stricken children. I thought that Parsefall, one of the two orphans who assisted Professor Grisini, was the most captivating character in this novel. He was left orphan and under the care of the despicable Grissini, a puppeteer and sorcerer, as a very young child. He lived in fear of his master, but admired his ability to puppeteer. He was a survivor and learned to look out for himself at a very young age. He did not have manners or even scruples, but had an innocent soul. Out of the three children Parsefall knew what he needed to do to survive. He had good instincts and aspirations; one of them was to become a master puppeteer. The story has its share of darkness, grief, and fantasy but also ends with a much needed and splendid happy ending.