It always excites me to read an engaging, distinguished fantasy novel for children and in my opinion, Splendors and Glooms (Candlewick Press) fits the bill. Victorian England is the perfect setting for this magical tale of witches, fantoccini, spells, and crumbling towers. There is a darkness that pervades the story and yet Schlitz knows when to add a touch of lightness and humor. With all of these positive qualities, the question remains – is Splendors and Glooms distinguished enough to win the Newbery?
One thing that struck me is the way in which Schlitz respects her young readers. Although the story deals with dark issues and some adult themes, Schlitz does not water it down. Take for example this quote from Cassandra when she is reminiscing about her childhood: "'My mother had chosen to abandon my father and me so that she could disgrace herself with a man.'" (pg. 268) Numerous other passages deal with themes of magic, spells, and even unrequited love. While Schlitz does not hold back from exploring these themes, she does so in an age-appropriate manner.
In a similar respect, each character is realistically flawed and with the exception perhaps of Grisini, demonstrates moments of both kindness and cruelty. Even Lizzie Rose, arguably the gentlest of all the characters, displays flashes of anger: "Lizzie Rose lunged at him. She grabbed his jacket and shook him. Then she seized a handful of hair and yanked." (pg. 117) And Cassandra, the wicked witch of the story, is perhaps not purely evil: "She wanted to tell the children that at her eleventh hour, she had done one good thing; she had released Clara from her secret, and set her free to dance." (pg. 378) Perhaps Schlitz even goes so far as to hint at Cassandra’s redemption. (pg. 379)
In terms of setting, Schlitz’s descriptions are always crisp and clear. I could see the streets of London with their fog and filth, hear the clip clop of the horse’s hooves pulling the carriages along the cobblestone streets, smell the clean, fresh air as Lizzie Rose skated across the lake. Yet I never felt bogged down with unnecessary detail. Although the story is close to 400 pages and might have been trimmed down a bit, I rarely felt a lag in pace due to superfluous descriptive elements.
My only fault may be with the ending.
(Spoiler alert!)
How did Clara know that the stone would be destroyed if she ran onto the ice? Cassandra never considered this in all of her attempts to rid herself of the stone? And was it plausible that Clara's parents would so quickly agree to taking in orphans? At the end, everything fell into place quickly, perhaps too quickly for my liking, and yet at the same time, I felt that a happy ending was appropriate.
(Spoiler alert!)
How did Clara know that the stone would be destroyed if she ran onto the ice? Cassandra never considered this in all of her attempts to rid herself of the stone? And was it plausible that Clara's parents would so quickly agree to taking in orphans? At the end, everything fell into place quickly, perhaps too quickly for my liking, and yet at the same time, I felt that a happy ending was appropriate.
So what are your thoughts? Is it distinguished? If so, is it in your top three?
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