Lion Fiction ISBN 9780745977874 £6.99
This is a 19th century science fantasy, murder-mystery set in an enchanting museum, inspired by the Natural History Museum, with some aspects of Hogwarts, and Sherlock’s mind palace. It tells the story of Ree, a girl who works as a stonemason disguised as a boy. Accompanied by Phil, a rather stubborn dodo, Ree works high up on the scaffolding, creating masterpieces in the stone. One day, she is discovered. Her father is sentenced to hard labour for allowing her to work in a profession forbidden to women. She is given a more lenient punishment and is relegated to a maid’s work cleaning the halls at night. But the Museum is changing, the rules are getting harsher. Then the murders start. Ree befriends Henri, a scholar from North Africa. The two work together to discover the murderer and prove their innocence.
Golding depicts a male dominated scientific world where ideas are squashed, women are seen and not heard and ethnic minorities are regarded with caution. The book encourages readers to reflect on whether religious thoughts and beliefs are incompatible with science. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the museum halls where a menagerie of extinct animals roam freely. As well as being an exciting page-turner, there is much here that is relevant to today’s world. We see how attitudes and prejudices have influenced advances in science. An intelligent, thought-provoking book for readers aged 10+.
Brenda Marshall