Frozen Billy - Softcover

Anne Fine is a former Children’s Laureate in Britain, and the author of: Up on Cloud Nine and The More the Merrier.
From the Hardcover edition.

Grade 4-6–A story set in Edwardian England. Clarrie and Will's dad is in Australia trying to earn enough money to send for his family. Their mum goes to Ireland for a funeral, where she is mistakenly imprisoned for theft. This leaves the children in the care of alcoholic Uncle Len, a ventriloquist. He and his doll aren't getting many laughs these days, so he encourages Will to dress as Frozen Billy's twin. They become the lead act. In a series of notebooks, Clarrie recounts the gradual change in Will from exuberant younger brother to cold, brittle performer. Clarrie is frightened when he begins talking to creepy Frozen Billy at night. She realizes that he needs rescuing and hatches an elaborate plan. Good Clarrie is able to plot their getaway precisely because no one expects it of her. This melodrama strains credulity but conveys a real sense of the disturbing changes in the characters. Will and Uncle Len spiral into bitterness and detachment, while Clarrie finds a tenacity and cleverness in herself that was previously unknown. Rough black-and-white drawings give a sense of the vaudeville theater and the period. As usual, Fine creates fascinating characters, an intense impression of time and place, and a fast-paced plot.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
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