How to Catch a Bogle

Bogles are hidden, evil, terrifying creatures. Readers witness these monsters grabbing and clawing children, and are told that several children have been eaten by Bogles. There's little bloodshed (though when Birdie is wounded there are "little spots of blood"), but Bogles leave behind a bad-smelling, slimy green substance that's just as gross and scary as blood. To rid homes of Bogles, Alfred uses a sharp spear.

Alfred is called a "go-devil man," referring to his profession as a Bogler. When Birdie is kidnapped, she shouts at her captor, "Damn you to hell!"

Alfred Bunce keeps a flask of brandy; he drinks from it after he's successfully killed a Bogle. He also has a pipe, but no money for tobacco. Chloroform is used to sedate kidnap victims.

Parents need to know that Catherine Jinks' How to Catch a Bogle is the first in a trilogy of fantasy novels set in Victorian London. This book introduces a cast of characters with different reasons for their interest in Bogles: monsters that hide in dark places like wells and chimneys. The setting, period, and well-drawn characters give this novel a Dickensian feel, while fantastical creatures make the plot extremely suspenseful and often frightening. There's some violence and frequent threat of violence against children, as well as a few instances of drinking by an adult. Chloroform is used to sedate kidnap victims.