The Shadow Cabinet: Shades of London, Book 3
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Shadow Cabinet is the third book in the Shades of London mystery series. Although the first two books focused more on Jack the Ripper and ghosts, Book 3 dives headlong into the occult. The first flashback scene shows 10, possibly 12, people poisoned in a creepy ceremony. A few more people are murdered suddenly with a knife and snapped necks, and others are knocked unconscious, drugged, or kidnapped. Talk of death and how people died or nearly died is pretty constant. As in the first two books in the series, the rest of the content is pretty mild, with only a little strong language (the worst is "s--t"), a little kissing, and some older teen drinking and smoking. We also get more of a feel for London as the series goes on with a visit to Highgate Cemetery and the Marble Arch.
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What's the Story?
Leaving Stephen in the hospital is hard for Rory. She'd just kissed him the night before and then he was gone. But he shouldn't be completely gone to Rory. She should be able to find his ghost. She and her sighted friends Boo and Callum start desperately looking for any sign of him, but Thorpe, Stephen's uptight boss, halts Rory's part in the search. He reminds Rory that Jane, the kidnapper Stephen rescued her from, is still out there and she needs to hide. Jane still has Rory's friend Charlotte, and with talk of strange occult rituals they know they have little time to find her alive.
Is It Any Good?
After a "recommend to all your friends" start to the Shades of London series with The Name of the Star, Book 2 flagged a bit. Author Maureen Johnson killed off a pretty great bad guy in Book 1, and Book 2 was missing that all-important strong adversarial force. Great news for THE SHADOW CABINET: There are new bad guys in old London Town -- occult ones with undead ambitions and a sadistic streak. Deliciously creepy stuff. And Rory, quirky bayou narrator extraordinaire, keeps the whole thing grounded and funny, as usual. The romance and a few big jaw-dropper surprises also will keep those pages turning in a hurry.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about ghosts, cemeteries, and scary stuff. Do you like reading about such things? Who in the family is easily scared? Who isn't? Would you like Rory's gift?
Grab a map of London and see if you can follow Rory, Jerome, and friends around in the book (until you hit the sewers, of course). Do you think you'd ever be able to take a test the way London cab drivers do (called the Knowledge) and know where everything is in London -- or even your own city?
Will you keep reading this series? What do you think will happen to Rory and friends and their new occult enemies?
Book Details
- Author: Maureen Johnson
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Brothers and Sisters, History, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Publication date: February 10, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 384
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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