Hyacinth and the Secrets Beneath

February 15, 2017
Set in a magical version of London, this fantasy features white, 12-year-old Hyacinth, an American girl who discovers on a visit that "history is a big fat liar" and that magic truly exists. Hyacinth, who has an acquaintance with plumbing, decides to change the configuration of a faucet in her aunt Polly's flat. This simple action causes a nasty chain of events beginning when her elderly white neighbor, Lady Roslyn Hill-Haverstock, tells her off for making the change, closely followed by her mother's abduction at the hands of strange beings called Saltpetre Men. The twisty plot becomes more and more convoluted after Hyacinth and Lady Roslyn descend into the London sewers. The sewers are home to an amazing collection of characters, most of whom, when not covered in the contents of the sewers, seem to be white. In the sewers, Hyacinth meets a young boy with amnesia and his protector, a gigantic pig named Oaroboarus, and three heavily accented toshers, who scavenge the sewers. This setup can't help leading to a rollicking adventure with a lulu of an ending that comes with the promise of a sequel. Middle graders will adore clever Hyacinth and enjoy the other humorous characters, the puns (Oaroboarus, indeed), and the suspenseful narrative. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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April 1, 2017
Gr 4-8-When Hyacinth moves from a small town in Illinois to London, she does a bit of research about her new city's history. Too bad the history books have it all wrong. It doesn't take long before Hyacinth discovers the truth: magic is real, and London is built upon ancient rivers filled with magical powers. Soon Hyacinth's mother is kidnapped, and Hyacinth must go on a mission into the sewers in order to rescue her. Along the way, she encounters strange creatures, including an odd unicorn, an evil postal organization, and a giant pig wearing a bathing suit. Hyacinth will have to learn whom to trust, as not everyone is friendly. The action is nonstop from the moment the protagonist's mother is abducted to the ending, which leaves the door open for a sequel. With plot twists and potty humor galore, this is an entertaining read-aloud that should keep even reluctant readers engaged. VERDICT Fans of Suzanne Collins's -The Underland Chronicles- and Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams's -Tunnels- series will enjoy this fantastic, funny adventure.-Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, Providence

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Grades 4-7 Hyacinth Hayward and her mom recently moved to London and are staying at Hyacinth's aunt's apartment for the summer. The 12-year-old is quite handy, so she decides to fix the temperamental bathroom faucet, unwittingly unleashing a magical force drawn from secret rivers flowing beneath the city. When a drop of the magical water escapes the sink, monsterlike creatures appear and take Hyacinth's mother hostage, informing the girl she has until midnight to return the drop of water, on pain of death. Hyacinth's neighbor Lady Roslyn rushes in to help with the quest, but Hyacinth soon realizes the neighbor is a villain set on causing a second Great Fire in London. As they traverse the sewers of London's underworld, they meet all sorts of magical, quirky characterssome friends, some foes. Whom can Hyacinth trust as she searches for her mother? Readers must willingly suspend disbelief to follow Sager Weinstein's engaging, fast-paced fantasy, but he makes it worth their while. It's a wild ride that's fun, freaky, outlandish, and suspenseful. Readers will beg for another installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
After her scatterbrained mother is kidnapped, it's up to Hyacinth to unravel secrets (both ancestral and historical) beneath London. Aided by a magical pig, Oaroboarus, who communicates via printed business cards, Hyacinth traverses London's underground rivers, finding allies and discovering strange forms of magic. Wacky characters take precedence over plotting, but the author's re-visioning of Victorian London (and its plumbing) is unique.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)