The Muses: Escaping Montague Manor

Nickolas has mastered an older rite of passage: the making of a radio, and he actually has a working knowledge of Morse code. They contact the outside, but realize they are on their own. It is only then that they stumble on a way to get help from enchanted Muses. The Muses give them help because of their efforts and to free themselves from their own enchantment. The Muses add layers of ability to the children, but it is really the determination and bravery of Sarah and Nickolas that affect the resolution of the situation.

The delightful part of the book is the character of the protagonists and, to a lesser degree, the Muses. The action moves along quickly, the plans and dangers seem plausible; the children are believable and extraordinary at the same time, and they don’t appear to have supernatural abilities. They are great role models, the kind of characters that make one want to stretch a little higher in difficult circumstances and never give up. The villains are also developed as the story progresses, and there are several characters that are neither all bad nor all good; the children have to judge and work out who, and how much, to trust them by themselves. The humor and personalities of the Muses are a nice addition; the magic they use has limitations, they, themselves, are obviously vulnerable to the forces arrayed against the children also. Altogether, this is a great book for twelve-year-olds, especially with Sarah and Nickolas as examples.

Notes to the Author