The purloined boy is interesting. Mortimus Clay will leave the reader wanting more.

This is the tale of Trevor, a young boy who becomes one of those children who end up on milk cartons under the word Missing.

Trevor is living in a dark and dreary town called Superbia, along with many other children. Think of an orphanage from Victorian England. They are not allowed to say words like "parents" or "home." If they do, the boogeymen who run Superbia (and who kidnapped the children from their beds), will send them away for behavior modification, or send them to the Pantry, to be fattened up and eaten by the boogeymen. Becoming a meal for the boogeymen is the eventual fate of all the children.

After a very vivid dream about his parents, Trevor asks about going home, and is sent away for behavior modification. Around this time, he meets Maggie, a fellow orphan who also has memories of life before Superbia. She tells Trevor that she is part of a secret society whose aim is to help all the children who want to return home to actually do it. He also meets Epictetus, a one-eyed slave who is a leader in the "underground," and Zephyr, a very unique talking mouse. Trevor also learns about Trothward, a very nice place outside Superbia. He also learns about the long-term war going on between the Guild, who runs Trothward, and Lucian, the leader of the boogeymen. This leads Trevor to one adventure, and narrow escape, after another, while he is traversing many dank and dreary passageways beneath Superbia.

This is a young adult book that was made to be read aloud to older children, say between 10-13 years old. It may be a little too much for younger children. There are a number of dark and spooky bits in this story, and, being first in a series, there is not a "happily ever after" ending. The author does an excellent job with this tale from beginning to end, and it is very much worth the time. ( )

Plot Synopsis
Trevor Upjohn's dreams are disturbing. As he sleeps in his cot in Superbia, watched over by Guardians and bogeymen, he dreams of "home", a place he has been told is fictional, a word he has been told is dirty. These dreams lead him to The Guild and begins his adventure.

My Thoughts
I love the concept of this book - you really should be scared of what's in your closet and it does want to eat you. All I have to say is - I knew it!

The two main characters of the book, Maggie and Trevor, are not fully developed, but they are both well-positioned for some interesting character insight in later books in the series. Trevor, the protagonist, has your typical "reluctant hero" persona, and Maggie has that whole spunky romantic interest thing going on, but their characterization is different enough to make them intriguing and likeable. The real character stars of this book for me were Maggie's uncle Epictetus and the Master Illuminator Ichabod.

Epictetus appealed to me in both his moderate, realist outlook on life and his superhuman kickassery. Ichabod is a crotchety old man who apparently has memory issues. Both of these men are Masters of the Guild, leaders of the resistance against Lucien, the head of the bogeymen. I think you know you are an adult when you read young adult literature and you immediately are drawn to the adults in the book.

There are some almost too familiar elements in the book. It is clearly the start of a quest narrative, a la Sword in the Stone. Also, the adults in the novel were at times frustratingly obtuse and stupidly ignoring or discounting the children. I've always had a problem with that part of young adult lit. At the same time, the premise of the world felt particularly unique, and I look forward to seeing how Clay continues to develop this world.

One portion of the plot which I found absolutely fascinating is the origins of the fight between the Guild and Lucien's bogeymen. I would tell you more, but I would hate to spoil it. Hopefully, future books in the series will delve deeper into this, revealing not only more about Lucien's strange journey, but also about the civilization that preceded this time. Hmm...that was probably very vague for those of you who haven't read the book.

Memorable Scene and Quote: Maggie is off to fish (fishing is finding children who are beginning to remember home) again, and Trevor's typical male goodbye was 'See ya'. Maggie, rightly so, is a bit miffed by his indifference. Fishing is, after all, a dangerous job. Originally, she decides to punch him in the stomach when she next sees him, but then this beautifully typical female thought pops into her head: "what if she were carried away by bogeys while he watched? She could see his face, twisted with remorse. 'I'm sorry Maggie!' she could hear him saying. 'I'm sorry I never told you how wonderful you are. You're the bravest girl who ever lived! Maggie, forgive me!' She smiled. Serve him right. Then he'd appreciate me. But it would be too late and he'd have to live with the guilt of it for the rest of his life." That's right sister - we know they'll appreciate us more if they are helpless in the face of our death! ( )

Reviewed by Karin Librarian for TeensReadToo.com

THE PURLOINED BOY begins with the question, Where do all those children on the milk cartons go?

It provides the answer through the eyes of one of those children, a boy named Trevor Upjohn, the purloined boy.

There's nothing hiding under the bed. There's no such thing as a bogeyman. Nothing is in your closet ready to gobble you up as soon as you fall asleep. At least that's what everyone says.

Trevor lives in Superbia, "the worst place in the universe," where the kids eat watery gruel, are watched by Guardians, and punished for saying naughty words like home and mother. Trevor is among the many children that have been snatched from their homes by bogeymen and are now considered missing. The children are taken at such young ages that they don't remember their family and consider Superbia their only home.

When Trevor begins to pay attention to his dreams of home he sets into motion events that will change his life forever. He and his friend, Maggie, uncover the secret of Superbia and what the missing kids are really for, but can they escape the bogeymen and make their way home?

THE PURLOINED BOY is a great story, but more than that, it is a pleasure to read. The book is beautifully written and caught me on the first page with its lyrical sentence structure and descriptive vocabulary.

Visit Mortimus Clay's website to keep up-to-date with the latest information about the author.

The sequel, THE QUEST FOR THE FEY BRAND, is set for release in April 2010. ( )

Summary: Trevor Upjohn was snatched away from his parents and his home when he was a small child, but it wasn't a normal kidnapping: Trevor was taken by Bogeymen. Not that he remembers much about home, except for brief flashes in dreams that tell him that he, and all of the other children like him in Superbia, are not where they're supposed to be. When an old slave tells him of a conspiracy that will help him to escape from Superbia, Trevor is excited, and anxious to try, but many dangers stand between him and his ultimate goal of getting home... not least the hordes of bogeymen!

Review: The Purloined Boy is an exciting fantasy adventure story for middle-grade readers, and a fun and quick read for adults. While there are definitely elements of traditional quest stories (and hints that those elements will be amplified later in the series), it's set in a universe unlike any I'd encountered before. The bogeymen are thoroughly creepy and evil, and would have scared the snot out of me as a kid (but then again, I was probably in my twenties before I could sleep with the closet door even slightly ajar, thanks to the Ghostbusters cartoon's version of the Boogeyman.) But there's also other kinds of evil, and badness can come from people as well as supernatural creatures, which lesson is well-handled throughout the book.

In addition to the setting being unique and well-done, the characterization is also impressive. I think that having interesting, believable, likable characters goes a long way towards making this a book that is readable by adults as well as kids. The writing, for the most part, also bridges the gap well; easy enough to be accessible by younger readers, and straightforward enough to let older readers get straight to the story. The one exception is that there was a tendency to try to make! every bit of description exciting! by using lots of exclamation points! I've only seen that style used in kiddie lit, so while I'm sure it works fine for the book's intended audience, it had the effect of yanking me out of the story whenever it appeared.(!) And that's a shame, because otherwise, it was a good, exciting, absorbing story, with plenty of hints of interesting things to come. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Ten to twelve-year-old fantasy fans of both sexes (Trevor's technically the main character, but there's a girl who gets her fair share of the adventure - and screentime - too) who don't mind scary stories will love this one, and it's certainly fun reading for adults, too. ( )