In Victorian London, the children Rose, Lily and little Ned have been inmates of an orphanage for 18 months since their father's ship sank in the Indian Ocean and their mother died soon after. But conditions are awful and their captors venial and cruel, so the kids decide to escape to America by sneaking down to the docks and stowing away on a ship. Unfortunately, they are nabbed by the evil crime boss Mack the Knife, who notices a precious locket on Rose's neck. But Spring-Heeled Jack, the righter of wrongs who is able to leap to great heights, will save the day and set the kids on their proper way. Many other surprises are in store. This trim book, told extensively with cartoons by David Mostyn as well as text by Pullman, is delightfully witty and engaging. (Grownups will get a kick out of the many sophisticated jokes, such as the Saveloy Hotel menu on p. 49.)
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The review of this Book prepared by David Loftus