Author: Maurice LeBlanc
Genre: mystery/humor
Similar books: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C Bunce
The Baker Street Peculiars by Roger Langridge
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): In 1907, Author Maurice Leblanc released the first collection of stories recounting the adventures of Arsene Lupin, a charming thief and master of disguises. The character became quite popular, featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas, inspiring generations of charming anti-heroes to follow. This brand new edition of the first Arsene Lupin novel is beautifully illustrated by artist Vincent Mallie, capturing the joyful style of an animated feature as if created by renowned director Hayao Miyazaki (whose first directorial release was LUPIN THE 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, which is filled with nods to Leblanc's classic character).
Collecting the first 9 novellas, this illustrated edition features dozens of black-and-white and full-color illustrations and plates including numerous two-page spreads that evoke the beauty and charm of a Studio Ghibli production.
My opinion: Convincing a young reader that an "old" book is worth their time can be a challenge. Kids don't necessarily want to fight against obscure vocabulary and long passages of flowery description. That may be less of a problem with this book. While it has a sort of old fashioned vibe, the language here was easy enough to follow while maintaining a sort of artfulness we don't always see in books for middle graders. The plots are a sort of cheeky nod at rascally behavior. Lupin is, after all, a thief. He steals from people who "deserve it" so we don't feel so bad at him tricking people all of the time. It fits a sort of intersection between Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Pimpernel - a character who gets away with daring crimes leaving behind tiny clues that only the sharpest investigator can puzzle out. If your young reader is a dedicated sort, this could be a fun selection.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment