The God of Mischief

Mog Winter and her long-lost brother Nick are sent to an isolated gothic mansion to live with a distant cousin, only to find themselves in the hands of danger in THE GOD OF MISCHIEF by Paul Bajoria a dramatic tale packed with exceptional twists and turns of plot and particularly recommended not only for prior fans of THE PRINTER'S DEVIL, but for any who relished the classic Aiken story WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE. The story of evil guardians, helpless twins, and family mysteries and treasure set in the depths of the English countryside comes to life in this sequel to THE PRINTER'S DEVIL.

Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (3/07) Mog Winter, her dog Lash, and her brother Nick, have all been sent to Kniveacres Hall to live with their great uncle, Sir Septimus Cloy. Though not particularly friendly to them, the household staff and town's people seemed okay except for Bonefinger, the over-polite, over-dramatic servant of Sir Septimus. He and his sidekick Melibee, who is blind, roam the castle appearing at most inconvenient times from what seems to be the walls themselves. When Mog sees lights in Sir Septimus' tower in the ungodly hours of the morning, she follows Bonefinger as he digs a hole near the walled garden and buries what seems to be a human body. It gets worse from there as Mog and Nick walk through the town, a gargoyle falls, almost killing Nick and at the castle of Kniveacres, a dumbwaiter almost beheads Mog. When the kids discover a cave with a secret tunnel that leads to an underground crypt, the story gets even weirder. They find a straw jester with a skull for a head who can move. As they escape the crypt using a secret door to the town church, they find the town is not only full of angry town's people but also scarecrow mannequins dubbed the Guys. The Guys, though made to ward out evil spirits, seem creepy and watch from every street corner with lifeless eyes. When the kid's governess appears to have hanged herself, Nick overhears Sir Septimus talking about the new governess, Mrs. Muggerage. He knows that he and Mog must escape the town. Can they further their quest to solve the mystery of their father and escape imprisonment, Mrs. Muggerage and death at the hands of Bonefinger or the mysterious Jester? Paul Bajoria writes even better in this second book of his career. "The God of Mischief" is a book that has all the elements of a mystery and an adventure story. This book is for ages 11 and up. Set amid the 19th century English countryside, "The God of Mischief" is an excellent novel. Be sure to read the first book of the series, "The Printer's Devil."