Moll Pecksmith is being pursued
by a witchdoctor called Skull who creeps into her dreams, seeking to lure her
away from the safety of her gypsy camp into his evil clutches. On learning that Skull is responsible for her
parents’ deaths, she decides to exact revenge by finding the “amulets of truth”,
the only things that can destroy Skull’s power.
Moll is a fun character
to hang out with. I really want to be her and spend my life climbing trees, catapult-shooting,
and burping the alphabet. She’s got a couple of cool sidekicks too – the
bumbling Siddy, who has a touch of Ron Weasley about him, and the mysterious
Alfie.
Not quite so fun are the evil creatures pursuing Moll: his bloodthirsty hounds and the ghostly vapours that slip down Moll's throat, trying to extract her name. In fact, the book is so packed with darkness and peril that the reader risks becoming numb to the horrors that Moll faces after a while. However, it maintains a good pace and is never slow or boring. Some readers may be frightened by the darkness. But kids who enjoyed the later Harry Potter books will delight in this book's magical world.
Not quite so fun are the evil creatures pursuing Moll: his bloodthirsty hounds and the ghostly vapours that slip down Moll's throat, trying to extract her name. In fact, the book is so packed with darkness and peril that the reader risks becoming numb to the horrors that Moll faces after a while. However, it maintains a good pace and is never slow or boring. Some readers may be frightened by the darkness. But kids who enjoyed the later Harry Potter books will delight in this book's magical world.
