The Fortress of Kaspar Snit. Cary Fagan. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2004. 167 pp., cloth, $12.99. ISBN 0-88776-665-X. Subject Headings: Heroes-Juvenile fiction. Family-Juvenile fiction. Fountains-Juvenile fiction. Flight-Juvenile fiction. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Lisa Doucet. **1/2 /4

excerpt:

Once in bed, I couldn' t sleep. Something had to be done, but what? Finally I dozed off. I dreamed that I was a little kid again, lying in my bed, and Kaspar Snit was standing over me with an evil glint in his eye. "I'll teach you for calling me nice," he was saying.

When I woke up, shivering, the room was still dark. I pushed off the covers and walked softly down the hall, where, as I somehow knew, I found my mother. The living room window was open, but she wasn't standing before it getting ready to lift off. Instead, she was sitting on the sofa with her chin in her hands.

"Eleanor?" she said, turning. I could just see her eyes, shining in the dark. "You should be asleep."

I sat beside her and she put her arm around my shoulders. "Who would have thought that our nice orderly life could be turned upside down this way?"

"Mom," I said. "We have to tell Dad."

"Tell him what?"

"That I know how to fly."

Eleven-year-old Eleanor Blande is a seemingly typical young protagonist. If, that is, you choose to ignore the eccentricities of her immediate family: her father is the world's leading authority on fountains, her younger brother Solly wears, as his standard uniform, a bathing suit over his pajamas and calls himself Googoo-man, and her mother can fly! Eleanor is intrigued when she first learns of this unusual gift that her mother possesses, but, unfortunately for her, her parents have already agreed that their children will not be taught to follow in their mother's footsteps. Undaunted, Eleanor uncovers the secret of flight for herself.

     And this turns out to be serendipitous indeed, for the entire Blande family calls upon this gift to help them resolve a crisis of international proportions! When all of Rome's most exquisite and world-renowned fountains start disappearing without a trace, Eleanor's father is beside himself. However, of even greater significance is the fact that Rome is prepared to declare war against all of its neighbours who are all suspects in this heinous crime. But only little Solly knows all along who the real culprit is: none other than the intrinsically evil Kaspar Snit, who is determined to rob the world of all its beauty. And it falls to the Blande family to fly to the Verulian Mountains to put a stop to his nefarious scheme.

     Cary Fagan's first novel for young readers is full of fun and devilish whimsy. The energetic pace of the plot will keep readers eagerly turning pages as they become increasingly absorbed in all of the twists and turns that the story takes. The story will most certainly entice emerging and/or reluctant readers who will appreciate its straightforward but fast-paced unfolding. Fagan has created an amusing cast of characters for this tale, most noteably the dastardly Kaspar Snit himself, a most diabolical villain if ever there was one! And while the Blande family may not represent the average Canadian family, they are nonetheless endearing for that. The author has combined numerous imaginative ideas to create a novel and engaging read: protagonists who can fly, mysteriously vanishing fountains and an evil genius who has been plotting against the Blande family for years. I was also pleased at the way in which the Blandes refused to give up on the idea that some small speck of goodness might still lurk deep within the blackened heart of Kaspar Snit.

     One aspect of the story that was a little ambiguous for me was the character of Julia Worthington. I wasn't quite certain how to feel about her: was she meant to be portrayed as haughty and superior, or simply as the unattainable friend whose approval Eleanor sought? I definitely felt that her role in the story was never quite clear. More sophisticated readers might find Kaspar Snit's character to be a little over-the-top and the explanation of his grudge against the Blandes to be a little flimsy, but the intended audience will be content to embrace Kaspar Snit as the diabolical fiend that he is meant to be and will likely readily accept that his meanness alone was reason enough for him to amass his great armies and devise his diabolical schemes!

     All in all, The Fortress of Kaspar Snit is an entertaining tale whose villain put me in mind of the ever-popular Lemony Snicket books. For young and/or struggling readers, it will provide an intriguing yet accessible story, and I'm sure that many readers will look forward to the sequel that this book's ending might lead one to anticipate.

Recommended.

Lisa Doucet is a children's bookseller at Woozles in Halifax, NS.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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