The Incredible Charlotte Sycamore

Gr 7 Up—Miss Charlotte Sycamore, 16, lives a sheltered life as the daughter of the royal surgeon to Queen Victoria. To escape the doldrums of court life and preparations for her impending nuptials, she ventures out of the palace to rendezvous with siblings Peter and Jillian, two working-class teens she has befriended. Within the opening pages, they are attacked by rabid, mechanical dogs. The rest of the action-packed story centers around Charlotte's efforts to tend to their serious wounds, prove the existence of the mechanical beasts and expose their creators, and keep her father oblivious to her double life. A romance between Charlotte and Peter develops. Maddison uses Charlotte's trips to the city, during which she cares for her friends, to convey details about Victorian London and the teen's compassion for her friends and others. With her high-energy plot, Maddison leaves little room for character development or theme delineation. Stereotypical characters, like a bumbling, kindhearted scientist; a preoccupied father; and two self-absorbed young ladies who share Charlotte's social stature, combine with some unbelievable events (magical Chinese checkers and emergency surgery in the park by the inexperienced Charlotte) to make for an entertaining, albeit frivolous, read.—Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY