Ely Plot (The Wickit Chronicles)
Pip, who has been raised since infancy by the monks at Wickit Monastery, finds his life transformed after he meets a small, living stone gargoyle named Present. The talking statue becomes Pip’s secret companion who accompanies him to the town of Ely, where Pip sings with a cathedral’s youth choir. After Present overhears a plot against the teenage king, she and Pip determine how to help save the not-so-cooperative monarch, bringing a suspenseful chase, a daring rescue—and a new friend. First published in Great Britain, this first title in The Wicket Chronicles offers a lively mystery, a spirited protagonist, and a rich depiction of medieval times. Pip and his appealing, if improbable, sidekick make an engaging pair, while the descriptive, sometimes dense formal prose is lightened with droll humor and diverse characters. The appended World of Wickit section relates medieval facts in a breezy, question-and-answer format, and sporadic line drawings of the characters further enhance this series starter. Grades 4-6. --Shelle Rosenfeld