Black Hearts in Battersea

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Summary: Black Hearts in Battersea
Review: Joan Aiken was one of my favorite writers as a child. As I was cleaning my bookshelves the other day, I noticed a copy of Blackhearts and immediately sat down to read it again. As a child I enjoyed Aiken's plot; the events that occur aren't plausible in a realistic fashion but they do fit in nicely with the context. As well, Aiken certainly takes her readers to another time and another world: one where there are strict dividing lines between good and evil. The characters in Blackhearts are wonderful from Simon to Dido to Sophie. And if the ending seems a bit too perfect, well, it certainly fits in with the incredulous problems the characters faced throughout. Aiken's children's books are completely delightful, with this one no exception.

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Summary: Battersea is the pinnacle of literary perfection
Review: This book in the Wolves/Dido series is probably amoung the best. It would be because of A.outstanding characterization B.amusing dialogue C.beautiful British humour. While The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Nightbirds on Nantucket are both worthy of accolades, Blackhearts in Battersea is the funniest. As most Scottish readers would know, in real history Bonnie Prince Charlie tried to wrest the throne from the Georgians. Aiken's use of twisted history is superbly amusing. Also, the large pair of trousers cracks me up. My only complaint is that Sophie was too perfect and not enough human.

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Summary: Awesome sequel to Wolves Of Willoughby Chase!
Review: This book is an awesome addition to the Wolves of Willoghby Chase. Although, Bonnie and Sylvia Green have a very small part in the story, this book is even more suspensful than its predecessor. Simon returns to study Painting with Dr. Field at an art academy in London. In London we meet many new and exciting characters, Dido Twite, a poor child who craves adventure and Simons's affection, Sophie, the lady-in-waiting for the Duchess of Battersea, and many others. There are other books besides this one. Make sure to read them all. An excellent series to read aloud to a Fifth or Sixth Grade class. They just die when you stop right before the climax of a part. It really captures their attention.

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Summary: Black Hearts in Battersea- a Great Book
Review: This is a direct sequel to "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase," which took place about a year before. In it, for the first time, we learn that Aiken's world is not our own, but an alternate reality in which the Stuarts kept the British throne; the King is James III, the "Hanoverian Wars" were fought some 15 years earlier to keep him in office, and the "Pretender" is "Bonnie Prince Georgie over the water," who is supported at home by a conspiracy of Hanoverians. Simon, the young orphan hero of "Wolves," is now 15, and comes to London to study painting and lodge with Dr. Gabriel Field, whom he befriended in the previous book. When he finds the doctor's lodgings (not without a good deal of misdirection, which proves to be enemy action), not only is Field not there, but everyone insists he never was. Bewildered, Simon manages to gain entry to the art school in Battersea, where he deeply impresses the master and meets Justin, the thoroughly untalented nephew of the Duke of Battersea, whose castle lies directly across the Thames. He soon makes the acquaintance of the Batterseas themselves, a delightfully foggy middle-aged couple (the Duke is a keen natural scientist and experimenter in gas balloons, and his lady has such a horror of boredom that she carries an arsenal of amusements wherever she goes, including the opera), and discovers to his delight that his dear friend Sophie, whom he knew in the orphanage before running away at the age of eight, is now the Duchess's lady's-maid. His friendship with his landlord's slangy small daughter, the neglected Dido Twite, leads him to the discovery of an arsenal of guns and pikes in the Twites' cellar and the realization that the family is Hanoverian--a persuasion shared, as it proves, by just about every servant in Battersea Castle (though not at the Duke's country house in Chippings). After he, Sophie, and the art students foil two attempts on the Batterseas' lives, he learns of a conspiracy to assassinate King Jamie, but is kidnapped to sea before he can warn anyone. Dido and Justin, stowing away on the ship, contrive to rescue him, there's a fire and wreck in a savage storm, and after a series of revelations that would do credit (once again) to Dickens, the conspirators come to their deserved end (or at least most of them do) and Simon and Sophie learn the secret of their roots. Though the British slang used by many of the characters may be puzzling to American readers, it can be worked out from context, and the plot is fast-paced and builds skilfully toward a climax. Robin Jacques's lovely line illo's add immeasureably to the story. "Battersea" defies the maxim that sequels are always inferior to the original. A great read-aloud that all families should own.

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Summary: A wonderful adventure
Review: This is a wonderful adventure with the sense of fun that The Littles shares. It has the character of a Dickens tale and an innocent charm beyond that. My eleven-year-old loved it! He couldn't put it down and would rate it a 5 star book. The twists and turns in plot are a bit predictable for an adult, but are pure excitement for a child. The charm of it makes it pleasant reading for all ages.