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School Library Journal
Reviewed on November 1, 2005
Gr 6-9 Tom, 12, would rather be home in Dorset enjoying his summer vacation and hanging out with his mates. Instead, his cancer-stricken mother has driven them both to London to stay with her estranged mother. As soon as they arrive, Tom begins to hear voices from across -the gap, - a time portal in the basement of his grandmother's house. The voices belong to a group of adults and children with physical deformities who have been sideshow attractions at Bartholomew Fa...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on January 1, 2006
The contortionist Malachi Twist, or the "Bendy Man," of Hearn's novel is a good emblem of its qualities: Twist knots his boneless limbs over and under, in and out; Hearn knots together lines of plot and theme in which 1717 and the present are contiguous. Twelve-year-old Tom is stuck at his grandmother's in London—his mother has decided that her recovery from breast cancer involves making peace wi...Log In or Sign Up to Read More




