A hidden attic. A classic story. A very unexpected twist. Twin twelve-year-old bookworms Ophelia and Linus Easterday discover a hidden attic that once belonged to a mad scientist. While relaxing in the attic and enjoying her latest book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ophelia dozes off, and within moments finds herself facing a fully alive and completely bewildered Quasimodo. Ophelia and Linus team up with a clever neighbor, a hippy priest, and a college custodian, learning Quasimodo's story while searching for some way to get him back home---if he can survive long enough in the modern world.
Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Enchanted Attic, The)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Browse the best books for every age and adventure including popular series, classics, and editors' picks in our Kids Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
'Narrator Bartholomew Inkster brings Lemony Snicket--like irony to frame the story. Self-conscious chapter titles ('Welcoming the Character that Rounds Things Out') and references to literature throughout the narrative make this a feast for middle-grade book lovers. Kids who like quirky adventure stories with idiosyncratic characters will enjoy a simpler kind of fun.' - Publishers Weekly Review -- Publishers Weekly Review <br><br> (Publishers Weekly Review )
About the Author
L.L. Samson lives in Kentucky and has been writing for longer than anyone needs to know. Suffice it to say, L.L. has been reading even longer, loves to do it, and hopes you will too! Chickens, children, and a cat live in Lexington with L.L. and spouse, Will Samson, who writes too. Despite this, it's difficult to find a pen in the house.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Bethany
Format:Paperback
Summary:
Linus and Ophelia Easterday's deadbeat parents have left for a five year excursion to study butterflies on a faraway island, leaving the twins to the management of their eccentric Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus. Since Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus live in a home once inhabited by a mad scientist Cato, Linus and Ophelia waste no time exploring their new home. Soon they discover Cato's old laboratory upstairs, filled with odd looking powders and potions, obscure magical books, and a circle painted on the middle of the floor. One night, they stumble into a magical discovery when Ophelia accidentally drops her book The Hunchback of Notre Dame into the circle on the floor.
Smoke, faint and smelling more like baby powder than flame, fogged the room. And then with a swirling snap, it all disintegrated.
Ophelia rubbed her eyes and looked inside the painted circle on the floor.
What?
She rubbed her eyes again. I must be seeing things!
A large figure sat hunched over in the middle of the circle. He raised his head, took one look at Ophelia with his good eye and then scanned the room around him. He inhaled a shaky breath and fainted, falling forward with a thud.
With a little research in the laboratory's library, Ophelia quickly realizes that she brought Quasimodo to life from the imaginary realms. He will stay in the "Real World" for three days at which point she must carefully return him to "Book World" in the same manner he came or else he will suffer a horrible death (similar to the melting of the Wicked Witch of the West).
Of course, figuring out what to do with a now real literary character is not the easiest of tasks. But Linus, Ophelia, and a street-smart friend Walter decide to make the most of it by sneaking Quasimodo around town and enjoying his company. Soon though, the friends realize that Cato still is alive and robbing the literature world of its artifacts. And this time, Cato is after Quasi with the help of Deacon Frollo (the hunchback's arch enemy). Can the children keep Quasi from the clutches of Cato and yet return him in time to "Book World"?
My Comments: Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame
Note: I read an advance review copy of Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame, meaning that my copy may contain misprints or deleted parts that do not appear in the final edition. As a result, I will limit my comments to themes that run throughout the book. I did notice several errors in my copy of the book.
What I disliked:
The narrator (a book loving janitor) begins humorously by parenthesizing witty definitions of words and explanations of the art of writing. But, although enjoyable at first, the narrator soon irritated me as he continually interrupted the story (sometimes even with definitions to words my three year-old understands.)
Several characters were described in detail (including the narrator) only to disappear almost totally from the plot of the book. Ironically, these characters were part of a literary lesson on creating secondary characters . . . maybe they will reappear in a future book? Other important characters seemed a bit flat.
Some classic literature fans will probably cringe at the reincarnation of their beloved characters. It reminded me of the disappointment all book lovers face of watching the movie after reading the book.
The ending was anti-climatic.
What I liked:
Samson's writing was engaging and humorous and reminded me of the conversational style of E. Nesbit.
The plot was imaginative.
Samson's themes of kindness to others, loyalty, and perseverance
The frequent allusions to classical literature
I thought that Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame was an enticing beginning to a new series, and I am interested to see how Samson develops her characters and plot in the future books. Parents will be delighted to find a new series for their children that is both wholesome and enjoyable.
This review is from my blog No Twiddle Twaddle. I was provided with a ARC from Zonderman.
Linus and Ophelia Easterday's deadbeat parents have left for a five year excursion to study butterflies on a faraway island, leaving the twins to the management of their eccentric Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus. Since Aunt Portia and Uncle Augustus live in a home once inhabited by a mad scientist Cato, Linus and Ophelia waste no time exploring their new home. Soon they discover Cato's old laboratory upstairs, filled with odd looking powders and potions, obscure magical books, and a circle painted on the middle of the floor. One night, they stumble into a magical discovery when Ophelia accidentally drops her book The Hunchback of Notre Dame into the circle on the floor.
Smoke, faint and smelling more like baby powder than flame, fogged the room. And then with a swirling snap, it all disintegrated.
Ophelia rubbed her eyes and looked inside the painted circle on the floor.
What?
She rubbed her eyes again. I must be seeing things!
A large figure sat hunched over in the middle of the circle. He raised his head, took one look at Ophelia with his good eye and then scanned the room around him. He inhaled a shaky breath and fainted, falling forward with a thud.
With a little research in the laboratory's library, Ophelia quickly realizes that she brought Quasimodo to life from the imaginary realms. He will stay in the "Real World" for three days at which point she must carefully return him to "Book World" in the same manner he came or else he will suffer a horrible death (similar to the melting of the Wicked Witch of the West).
Of course, figuring out what to do with a now real literary character is not the easiest of tasks. But Linus, Ophelia, and a street-smart friend Walter decide to make the most of it by sneaking Quasimodo around town and enjoying his company. Soon though, the friends realize that Cato still is alive and robbing the literature world of its artifacts. And this time, Cato is after Quasi with the help of Deacon Frollo (the hunchback's arch enemy). Can the children keep Quasi from the clutches of Cato and yet return him in time to "Book World"?
My Comments: Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame
Note: I read an advance review copy of Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame, meaning that my copy may contain misprints or deleted parts that do not appear in the final edition. As a result, I will limit my comments to themes that run throughout the book. I did notice several errors in my copy of the book.
What I disliked:
The narrator (a book loving janitor) begins humorously by parenthesizing witty definitions of words and explanations of the art of writing. But, although enjoyable at first, the narrator soon irritated me as he continually interrupted the story (sometimes even with definitions to words my three year-old understands.)
Several characters were described in detail (including the narrator) only to disappear almost totally from the plot of the book. Ironically, these characters were part of a literary lesson on creating secondary characters . . . maybe they will reappear in a future book? Other important characters seemed a bit flat.
Some classic literature fans will probably cringe at the reincarnation of their beloved characters. It reminded me of the disappointment all book lovers face of watching the movie after reading the book.
The ending was anti-climatic.
What I liked:
Samson's writing was engaging and humorous and reminded me of the conversational style of E. Nesbit.
The plot was imaginative.
Samson's themes of kindness to others, loyalty, and perseverance
The frequent allusions to classical literature
I thought that Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame was an enticing beginning to a new series, and I am interested to see how Samson develops her characters and plot in the future books. Parents will be delighted to find a new series for their children that is both wholesome and enjoyable.
This review is from my blog No Twiddle Twaddle. I was provided with a ARC from Zonderman.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For only being 140 pages long, this MG fantasy took me a long time to read. I considered not even finishing it because was a mental challenge to stay focused on the story. The narrator is a college custodian that likes to explain how to write a story, while also making snide remarks about his colleagues, which have nothing to do with the story. After reviewing the book, I checked the author's profile on Goodreads and it said:
The Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the YearQuaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks.
I'm not sure if the risks taken with this book are worth it. I still haven't figured out who the targeted audience is. As an adult, I didn't enjoy the narrator and only finished the book so I could explain the book in detail to my mother, who is a MG teacher, and ask if her students would read a book like this. She said no. What's the point of the author making a Mice and Men reference, and then explaining the reference as a book they will read in high school? Later in the book the narrator says that he will not describe the scene because bugs make him gag. Really? So if it's not for adults who enjoy MG and it's not for MG students, then who will enjoy this book? I honestly don't know. This is a perfect example of a book that is not marketable.
The beginning of the book should of alerted me to trouble when the word prologue was immediately followed by:
What You Need to Know Before Reading This Fantastic Little Book...Or All This Backstory Isn't Normally a Good Idea, but We'd Like to Get On with Things.
The plot was bland. By accident, Orphelia summons Quasimodo into her attic and in order to send him back she has to read a book before time runs out. She tells one of the other characters that she can't help clean up because she HAS to read this book, but then continues chatting with her companions while she is `reading' and they are `working'. Oh and there's a storm, no a flood. That's it. That's the story. I don't need to put a spoiler for you to know what happens at the end. It's A + B = C. Nothing more. This isn't MG quality. This has a better fit as a story I would read to my one year old son.
I think it also has the worst ending line to date:
"You can't sit around reading all day."
Yeah, lets discourage the youth from reading. Great idea.
My advice to the author? Stick to Christian fiction. MG fantasy is not your forte.
Characters 2/5
Concept 1/5
Pacing 1/5
Grammar 5/5
Ending 1/5
The Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the YearQuaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks.
I'm not sure if the risks taken with this book are worth it. I still haven't figured out who the targeted audience is. As an adult, I didn't enjoy the narrator and only finished the book so I could explain the book in detail to my mother, who is a MG teacher, and ask if her students would read a book like this. She said no. What's the point of the author making a Mice and Men reference, and then explaining the reference as a book they will read in high school? Later in the book the narrator says that he will not describe the scene because bugs make him gag. Really? So if it's not for adults who enjoy MG and it's not for MG students, then who will enjoy this book? I honestly don't know. This is a perfect example of a book that is not marketable.
The beginning of the book should of alerted me to trouble when the word prologue was immediately followed by:
What You Need to Know Before Reading This Fantastic Little Book...Or All This Backstory Isn't Normally a Good Idea, but We'd Like to Get On with Things.
The plot was bland. By accident, Orphelia summons Quasimodo into her attic and in order to send him back she has to read a book before time runs out. She tells one of the other characters that she can't help clean up because she HAS to read this book, but then continues chatting with her companions while she is `reading' and they are `working'. Oh and there's a storm, no a flood. That's it. That's the story. I don't need to put a spoiler for you to know what happens at the end. It's A + B = C. Nothing more. This isn't MG quality. This has a better fit as a story I would read to my one year old son.
I think it also has the worst ending line to date:
"You can't sit around reading all day."
Yeah, lets discourage the youth from reading. Great idea.
My advice to the author? Stick to Christian fiction. MG fantasy is not your forte.
Characters 2/5
Concept 1/5
Pacing 1/5
Grammar 5/5
Ending 1/5
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bottom line: this book follows the Lemony Snicket three fold path - engaging characters, interesting premise, precious annoying narrator. The good news is it does so without the vaguely sour and condescending Snicket aftertaste I think you can sometimes get from Lemony.
The book's heroes are particularly strong. There are two siblings who complement each other, and are loyal to and supportive of each other. Like minds with distinct talents, they make a great fictional team. A third kid is added to season the mix, and he adds charm and street smarts. So you start with good basic ingredients, (and none of that sibling infighting that can get very old very fast if not handled just right). Secondary characters don't add much to the plot as such, but again season the pot nicely. Aunt and Uncle are sort of a hoot as vague adult figures. Neighbors and tangential characters come and go, and mostly serve to keep a little variety going. The villains aren't terribly well developed, but they aren't really the point of the tale, and just sort of serve as placemarkers, since you have to have a villain to make the tale work.
The premise, (MILD SPOILER ALERT), that you can bring book characters to life in our world through an enchanted alchemical circle, has of course been done before. From the "Magic Treehouse" kids who travel through time and space, (for the second grade crowd), through "The Time Warp Trio", who travel into the past through a magic book, (3rd and 4rth gradish), to any number of books for older middle-graders, this is an honored framework. The angle here, that you can animate fictional characters from classical works, (as opposed to historical "real" characters), adds a nice twist to the convention and leaves lots of rooms for sequels. And, the choice of Quasimodo the Hunchback is especially interesting, since he's probably not the mainstream first choice.
The "but" here is the narrator, who will fall for each reader somewhere along the "vaguely annoying to makes it unreadable" scale. The narrator is drawn as an actual character in the book who has been asked by the children to write about their adventures. That makes him a lot more present in the story than just some unseen, unknown narrator. So far, so good - nobody hates Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes. But, this narrator has a running grievance about being a janitor at a college, which is just distracting and beside the point. The narrator also adds parenthetical definitions for words in the text. This was sort of interesting and sort of helpful at the start, but it broke up the narrative, got too cute and then got affirmatively annoying pretty quickly. I think the problem is that it's show-offy without advancing or enhancing the story. (The narrator also does this meta-fictional thing where he explains why the book is being written a certain way, and while this can be interesting it also robs the story of any momentum by always making it clear that this is just a made-up fiction.)
The upshot is that with engaging characters and a sort of thinking-man's storyline, this book could be a hit with your reader. It doesn't seem like a sure thing, and it's vaguely old-fashioned, (no hip references or gossip-girl type vibe), but it has a certain idiosyncratic charm that could engage your reader.
Please note that I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a frank review.
The book's heroes are particularly strong. There are two siblings who complement each other, and are loyal to and supportive of each other. Like minds with distinct talents, they make a great fictional team. A third kid is added to season the mix, and he adds charm and street smarts. So you start with good basic ingredients, (and none of that sibling infighting that can get very old very fast if not handled just right). Secondary characters don't add much to the plot as such, but again season the pot nicely. Aunt and Uncle are sort of a hoot as vague adult figures. Neighbors and tangential characters come and go, and mostly serve to keep a little variety going. The villains aren't terribly well developed, but they aren't really the point of the tale, and just sort of serve as placemarkers, since you have to have a villain to make the tale work.
The premise, (MILD SPOILER ALERT), that you can bring book characters to life in our world through an enchanted alchemical circle, has of course been done before. From the "Magic Treehouse" kids who travel through time and space, (for the second grade crowd), through "The Time Warp Trio", who travel into the past through a magic book, (3rd and 4rth gradish), to any number of books for older middle-graders, this is an honored framework. The angle here, that you can animate fictional characters from classical works, (as opposed to historical "real" characters), adds a nice twist to the convention and leaves lots of rooms for sequels. And, the choice of Quasimodo the Hunchback is especially interesting, since he's probably not the mainstream first choice.
The "but" here is the narrator, who will fall for each reader somewhere along the "vaguely annoying to makes it unreadable" scale. The narrator is drawn as an actual character in the book who has been asked by the children to write about their adventures. That makes him a lot more present in the story than just some unseen, unknown narrator. So far, so good - nobody hates Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes. But, this narrator has a running grievance about being a janitor at a college, which is just distracting and beside the point. The narrator also adds parenthetical definitions for words in the text. This was sort of interesting and sort of helpful at the start, but it broke up the narrative, got too cute and then got affirmatively annoying pretty quickly. I think the problem is that it's show-offy without advancing or enhancing the story. (The narrator also does this meta-fictional thing where he explains why the book is being written a certain way, and while this can be interesting it also robs the story of any momentum by always making it clear that this is just a made-up fiction.)
The upshot is that with engaging characters and a sort of thinking-man's storyline, this book could be a hit with your reader. It doesn't seem like a sure thing, and it's vaguely old-fashioned, (no hip references or gossip-girl type vibe), but it has a certain idiosyncratic charm that could engage your reader.
Please note that I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a frank review.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Book characters literally comes to life!
Ophelia set down the book. Three days. Three days with Quasimodo, a medieval, Parisian hunchback recluse, right here in Kingscross, right here in this house, right here in the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J:-)mi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for Tweens who like Percy Jackson, etc.
Finding interesting fiction for tweens can be tricky. This new series by L.L. Samson (AKA Lisa Samson) does just the trick. The concept is that three kids (13 y.o. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cara Putman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good book for teenagers
I purchased the book because it had been presented to me as a children's book. My idea of children was under 10 years of age. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Janie
4.0 out of 5 stars
A clever premise for a series!
Review by Jill Williamson
Twelve-year-old twins, Ophelia and Linus move in with their aunt and uncle and discover an old laboratory hidden in the attic. Read more
Twelve-year-old twins, Ophelia and Linus move in with their aunt and uncle and discover an old laboratory hidden in the attic. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Novel Teen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good story for Middle Grades
This is a fast-paced, intriguing children's story told by a very literary janitor. I love the language used (and the explanations within! Read more
Published 11 months ago by Vicky Burkholder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really fun MG book
Since I work with elementary school kids, I read a lot of middle grade and children's titles. When I saw the blurb for this on NetGalley, I was immediately intrigued; I mean, the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Merin
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Different Perspective of Quasimodo
The Enchanted Attic: Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame by L.L. Samson
Review by Kara Grant
Minor Spoilers
My Review
What happens when your parents are... Read more
Review by Kara Grant
Minor Spoilers
My Review
What happens when your parents are... Read more
Published 12 months ago by K. Grant
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and Educational Kids' Story
In Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame, fourteen-year-old twins Linus and Ophelia Easterday have been left to live with their aunt and uncle (also twins) in Kingscross, home of the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Iola
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book should be in every classroom/school!
Sometimes, a book that is so very well written and entertaining, needs no introduction nor words... every kid out there should read this book! Read more
Published 12 months ago by The Bumble Girl
