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Junior
Puffin
Paperback Original £4.99
ISBN: 014131673X
Reviewed by Gwen Grant
[Armadillo 6.3 Autumn 2004]
This is such a fun book! And Solomon Snow, the hero, is such a satisfying hero. Sure, he's a little slow on the uptake but, hey, who's complaining when he has such lovely manners and is SO kind. K.I.N.D. Write it in letters of fire. SOLOMON SNOW IS KIND. And funny.
And as for Prudence Pridy, she of the long nose always stuck in a book, Solomon's side-kick in trial and tribulation, Prudence gets my vote every time. Yes, she's bossy. Yes, she's a know-all. Yes, her nose goes red but so does mine and I love Prudence and wouldn?t have her a jot different.
Any child reading this book, testing the weight of this classic story of a foundling desperately seeking the silver spoon which was in his mouth when he was dumped, purple velvet pantaloon clad, on the doorstep of the Scubbins' household, will discover within the first few pages they needn't worry about a thing. Nothing is going to let them down. They are in safe hands. There is such a lovely sensibility at work in this book that any reader can just relax and have fun reading it.
And what about that cute little sly-boots, Rosabella, as in, "I's little Wosabella"? A short child with a short tongue who can create mayhem through the strongest self-will this side of the Rockies but who unexpectedly turns out to be very useful in Solomon's quest for a rich and glowing future.
Pawn shop? You don't feel any Victorian story about a foundling is complete without a Pawn shop? Well, here is a pawn shop of the very best kind, together with a pawnbroker who wears half-fingered gloves, wire-rimmed spectacles and an attitude that owes everything to a cold, cold heart.
Dear Solomon, who gets his lips frozen to a keyhole. Dear Prudence, with her outrageous stories which mirror so exactly the events of THIS story. And dear Rosabella, who can scream. Throw in a kidnap, house arrest, a chimney sweep called Fred, an orphanage with the usual wicked Mistress, a helpful lad called Ploot, a happy ending with a twist in the tail and what have you got? You've got a story with an impeccable narrative structure which is sheer, undiluted pleasure, that's what.