Author: Tom Angleberger
Summary: M'Lady Luggertuck's servants notice something different, a curious loosening of the rules which coincidentally starts when M'Lady's loosens her corset. The usually controlled manor quickly gets out of control. Certain things start disappearing, including the Luggertuck's Lump (the world's biggest uncut diamond) and M'Lady's best wig. The situation gets crazier when inept Detective Portnoy St. Pomfrey is called in to catch the culprit. For his part, Horton Halfpott, an unlikely suspect, is a kitchen boy in the stuffy English manor. He works hard for nearly nothing. He never breaks the rules. But when M'Lady's evil son, Luther puts an evil plan in motion to kidnap Miss Sylvan-Smythe, Horton learns sometimes the rules have to be broken.
Review: Hotron Halfpott is not your average lowly servant in a stuffy castle book. Yes, there are deplorable conditions for the servants, a greedy, villainous son, and a little romance between an unlikely pair (though the author makes it a point not to dwell on that part). But author, Tom Angleberger breaks all the rules with Horton Halfpott. He writes in first and third person at the same time. He even speaks directly to the reader. "Plus, he asked himself with horror, what if he lost a week's wages or much worse, his job? Ah, yes Reader, I know what you are thinking." I can't leave out the curious capitalization of random words throughout the book. Or the 21 funny characters who infuse this mystery with comedy. Horton Halfpott is a light read with a good mystery, lots of comedy, and just a little romance.
Special Note: The audiobook version of Horton Halfpott is superbly narrated by Ron Keith whose use of a multitude of voices is nothing short of impressive, not to mention, highly entertaining.
Interest Level: Grades 3 - 6
AR Level: 5.8 (worth 5 pts.)
Lexile Level: 880
Profanity:
None
Potentially Inappropriate References:
None
Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
Stealing
Ms. Neversly hits Horton with a spoon
Kidnapping
Lying
Pirates force someone to walk the plank
Horton is pushed into a mud
Parental Concern Rating:
1 out of 5
