Dari has picked our book for February.  We will be reading Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz.  Here is a snippet of what it is about: 
The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his 
stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only 
child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites 
him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a 
fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with 
caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants. 
Lizzie Rose and 
Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have 
everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In 
fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara 
vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer 
and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. 
As they seek to 
puzzle out Clara’s whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini’s 
criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they 
find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini’s ancient rival, a witch
 with a deadly inheritance to shed before it’s too late.
So pick up a copy at the library, borrow it from a friend or if this sounds like something you would like to have in your personal library I'm not going to stop you from buying a copy. :) Happy reading ladies!

