The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher
Grade 4-6–Eleven-year-old Darius Frobisher's life is about to change. His father, a seasoned world traveler and adventurer, recently took off in a hot-air balloon for a weekend trip and never returned. Because Darius's mother died when he was young, Miss Hastings, their elderly housekeeper, has always cared for him during his father's absences. Now, three attorneys tell them that Rudy Frobisher is presumed dead, send Miss Hastings away, and take the boy to live with his grouchy Aunt Inga, who makes it clear she doesn't want him around. He is miserable until he encounters Daedalus, a neighborhood eccentric who rebuilds old bicycles, and who, Darius is certain, has constructed one that can fly. Harley often addresses readers directly, working hard to enchant them, offering them villains they can hiss at and teasing them with magic that lies just around the corner. But he tries, not subtly enough, to force his audience to understand his characters–telling them that Aunt Inga is mean, for example, because she's unhappy–making the bad guys lose a lot of their bite, along with the story. Still, this pleasant blend of melodrama and fantasy will make youngsters frown over Darius's misery and then smile in anticipation of the predictably happy ending.–Walter Minkel, New York Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theSchool & Library Bindingedition.