The Traitors' Gate by Avi

When Avi publishes a book read it. He never fails to deliver, and he doesn't fail with this one.

Written for your sophisticated reader at intermediate and high school level, it is a story set in Dickensian London, indeed it could almost be the story of Charles Dicken's early life.

John Huffam's father is arrested for debt under mysterious circumstances and is imprisoned in a debtor's prison with his mother and sister. There are rumours that Mr Huffam was about to sell British Naval secrets concerning the discovery of "rifling" in guns which allows them to fire longer distances with greater accuracy. Young John gets involved in all the intrigue along with a street urchin, Sary the Sneak, and an array of sinister characters, just like a Dicken's novel.

Avi deliberately writes the story in a Dickensian way, save for the metaphors that characterised Dicken's writing. Nonetheless he portrays the City of London in the 1840's in such descriptive and realistic way with it's dinginess, it's squalor and it's fog, that the city becomes a character in the novel.

This novel is also a mystery which draws the reader in and Avi manages to extend the mystery right to the last page. You will not be disappointed.

Read it!

Reviewed by Bob

Published by Atheneum Books