Horton Halfpott, or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor, or, the Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset

Gr 4—7—Angleberger claims this tale of greed, theft, and corsets was inspired by Charles Dickens, although readers may equally suspect Roald Dahl. Downtrodden kitchen boy Horton Halfpott works for Smugwick Manor's ironfisted mistress, Lady Luggertuck. One morning she loosens her corset and the ensuing circulation causes her to sponsor a ball for her lovelorn nephew. The ball begins a chain of events leading to the theft of the Luggertuck Lump diamond, romance for Horton, and, best of all, "Shipless Piracy." While Horton's heart flutters for neighbor Celia, three enterprising stable boys mount surveillance on the manor to discover the thief. Much like Dickens or Dahl, an opinionated narrator with a strong sense of the ridiculous directs this story. His arch, mock-fanciful tone shows the absurd pretensions and underlying nastiness of Lady Luggertuck and her 16-year-old son. The narrator often uses contrasts to emphasize the differences between the mistress and her servants: "stately bedchambers" for her and "stiflingly hot attics" for them. The rich imagery adds humor and pathos to Horton's drudgery even as theft and piracy liven up the story. While not every mystery is solved (the stable boys' parentage remains a veiled secret), Horton's own reversal of fortune will provide readers the happy ending they expect. Pen-and-ink caricatures introduce each chapter and its characters. Well written, satirical, and satisfyingly silly.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT