How to Catch a Bogle

Catherine Jinks' HOW TO CATCH A BOGLE takes place in a very Dickensian 1870's-ish London where monsters (bogles) are considered by the wealthy and educated to be fictional and generally just folklore beliefs held by the ignorant poor English classes. Except they ARE real as we find out by following

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ten year old protagonist Birdie McAdam who is apprenticed to a bogler, or professional bogle killer, named Alfred Bunce. The characters are recognizable as types (Birdie is talented, brave, smart, but uneducated; Alfred is her gruff mentor with a heart of gold) but as the plot unfolds we get to learn about them as individuals.

Plot, character, setting, pacing, dialogue - this book has it all. Illustrations too! Sarah Watts' chapter head illustrations are simple and effective pen and ink drawings of glowing eyes in black wells and such. I'll go out on a limb here and say that HOW TO CATCH A BOGLE will be considered for the Newberry Medal (I can't say it will win but it really is that good).

One of the book's strengths might be a problematic feature for some. Ms. Jinks relies heavily on actual late 19th century London slang for setting the mood. "Birdie, who was taken aback, offered the caffler an uncertain smile." About half way through this delightful read I found myself wishing for a glossary to keep track of terms like "caffler" and "deadlurk" and "tosher." Turns out there IS a very useful glossary at the end of the book that serves that purpose nicely.

The class divisions in 19th century London are also on full display. Orphans are considered disposable workers who are capable of doing only the most dangerous jobs. Birdie considers herself lucky that she has such a good occupation of being bait for monsters, considering that at birth she was destined to be a "tosher" (sewer scavenger). Since her mother died in the sewers, Alfred has taken her from that life and trained her as his apprentice. A good deal of the plot concerns the collision between the different classes in London at the time, including classes within classes. A bogler's apprentice is held in much higher esteem than a tosher or caffler (rag and bone man).

This would be an excellent book as a leaping off point for middle schoolers to study slang, class divisions (poor vs. rich), and the general idea that some things considered mythological might actually be real. It's a straightforward read with a gritty feel about it, but never comes across as depressing and self-defeating. Life is the way it is and Birdie deals with it.

I will be buying the next book in this series, A PLAGUE OF BOGLES (2014) the minute it is available. This is a great read for adults as well as the intended audience of 9-12 year olds. One of the easiest 5 out of 5 star ratings for a book I've ever reviewed.

Note: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes.

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A plucky heroine, Victorian era language and setting, and monsters - a perfect combination in my opinion. Birdie, the apprentice, Mr. Bunce, her mentor, and Edith, the proper scientist, make quite a trio. Birdie and Mr. Bunce are a bogle-killing team, protecting children from the monsters'

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unfortunate eating habits. Mr. Bunce draws his circle of salt, Birdie steps inside and sings old shanties to lure the bogle from its dark lair. Birdie must jump clear of the circle at the last minute as Mr. Bunce stabs the monster with his magic spear. Edith wants to observe this technique as part of her research into monster folklore. When she realizes that Birdie is being used as bait, she is horrified. But Birdie loves her job, is good at it, and Mr. Bunce is very protective of her. Can Edith convince them to use more scientific methods, such as trying different, less dangerous, baits? Birdie thinks Edith is trying to put her out of a job. Mr. Bunce agrees that he may be putting the girl to undue risk, but scoffs at "learned" methods. The trio is at odds until an evil necromancer theatens all of them. Adventurous, deliciously spooky, and well-paced. Though the ending is quite conclusive, more adventures surely await the bogle-hunters.

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This reminds me of Grimms Fairytales because they are dark. This is a dark story that takes place in Victorian London. During that time period you had the poor and the wealthy. The wealthy did not associate with the poor unless they needed them to do work for them. The wealthy did not believe in

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Bogles, monsters who ate children. These were tales the poor people told their children to keep them obedient. If you were not lucky enough to have parents then you often found yourself working in a workhouse. Lots of long hours, hard work and very little food. A lot of kids starved to death. Birdie McAdam is an orphan. She is a lucky one though. She is the apprentice to Alfred Bunce a Bogle killer. Birdie’s job is simple she needs to sing. Singing lures the Bogles out so that Bunce can kill them. She considers the risk well worth it compared to working in a workhouse. However, there seems to be more children disappearing. After all, children are a Bogle’s favorite dish. Tag along with Birdie and Bunce on this first adventure into the world of the Bogles. The second book in the trilogy, A Plague of Bogles, will be out in the fall of 2014. Afraid you might not understand the language from the Victorian era? There is a handy glossary in the back. This is a book you definitely need to check out.

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This Victorian-era children's book is well-paced, setting the stage nicely for the climax. But it won't be for all children. They're going to be readers who like to learn new words for there is a five page glossary of Victorian English slang at the end. And knowing the meaning of those words will

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help make sense of the book. Birdie is an apprentice to a bogle-catcher. These nasty monsters are stealing children all over London. BIrdie's job is to stand outside the hiding hole of the bogle and draw his attention so Alfred can kill the bogle. When Birdie and Alfie kill a bogle in a doctor's house without his permission, Birdie and Alfie find themselves in horrible trouble. The story is satisfying. I kept expecting Oliver and Fagan to show up. The author does a good job showing how the poor lived. The only quibble I have with the book is the cover. Alfred and Birdie look so clean. After you read the book, you know that wasn't true. I supposed showing filthy children in torn and dirty clothes won't sell books though. Grades 4-7

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The story's not terribly original, but 10-yo Birdie's quite an attractive heroine and the author does a nice of capturing both the idiom and the local color of Victorian London.

f ever a chill entered her soul, or the hope suddenly drained from her heart, she knew a bogle was to blame. Birdie McAdam, a ten-year-old orphan, is tougher than she looks. She's proud of her job as apprentice to Alfred the Bogler, a man who catches monsters for a living. Birdie lures the bogles

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out of their lairs with her sweet songs, and Alfred kills them before they kill her. On the mean streets of Victorian England, hunting bogles is actually less dangerous work than mudlarking for scraps along the vile river Thames

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Not sure how this got on my to-read list. ?�I'd already marked Jinks' Evil Genius dnf. ?á

I was on the fence with this until about 100 pp in, when I looked at the jacket again and saw that it's a trilogy. ?áSorry, I've read enough Dickension juveniles, and enough monster adventures... this

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just didn't seem special. ?áI am interested in Mrs. Eames (and her family & situation) and her quest to understand these monsters from a scientific viewpoint, but not enough to read all the rest of the stories.

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I liked this book well enough, but in the end there wasn't really anything that grabbed me about it.

Even though I like the author i put off reading this book because of the atrocious cover. Quite enjoyed it once I actually started into it though. Genuinly creepy at times and funny at others.