Murder At Midnight [Hardcover]

Avi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Newbery Medalist and master storyteller Avi returns to Scholastic with a tantalizing prequel to his bestselling medieval mystery MIDNIGHT MAGIC.

A plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio. Scholarly Mangus the magician -- along with his street-smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio -- have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king's court. Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight. . . or face death!

Intricate plotting, surprise twists, and lively prose make for another suspenseful page-turner that stands alone or sets the stage for MIDNIGHT MAGIC!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–8—In the Renaissance kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy, young servant Fabrizio's master, a stage magician, is charged with plotting treason against the king and dealing with demons. Fabrizio knows he must help clear Mangus's name to avoid once again living on the streets and to convince the magician to take him on as an apprentice. The plot is thick, however, and Fabrizio bumbles along until he finally comes up with a plan worthy of a magician. Avi weaves in the introduction of the printing press, the belief in magic as an evil source of power, and the rarity of reading as a skill without ever making them seem like lessons. Fabrizio, because he lacks education, believes that magic is real, an understanding that gets both him and his master into more trouble. His bumbling makes it feel as though the story is pushing him along, rather than Fabrizio himself driving the narrative. Eventually, though, he learns enough about himself, and about the illusion of magic, to come through with glowing colors. An intelligent girl who is a "printer's devil" provides an excellent counterpoint to Fabrizio's worldview. The novel should appeal to reluctant readers, as the writing style is easy enough to follow despite the historical concepts.—Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT END

Review

PRAISE FOR MURDER AT MIDNIGHT:

"Readers will be glued to this suspenseful, headlong caper from first page to last."–Kirkus Reviews

"The suspense simmer[s] right through to the end."–Booklist

PRAISE FOR MIDNIGHT MAGIC:

*"With snappy dialogue, nonstop action and lavishly embroidered period backdrops, this will please Avi's fans and may well win over some new ones."–Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The pages fly with intrigue and action."–Horn Book

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545080908
• ISBN-13: 978-0545080903
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Avi has published more than sixty books. Among them is Crispin: The Cross of Lead, winner of the 2003 Newbery Medal. Other novels with nineteenth-century settings, like The Traitors' Gate -- his grand nod to the work of Charles Dickens -- are listed before the title page, and include the Newbery Honor Book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Avi and his family live in Denver, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Illusion, Intrigue and Murder, September 22, 2009

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder At Midnight (Hardcover)

Ten-year-old Fabrizio is an orphan, entirely dependent on the goodwill of people like Mistress Sophia and her husband, Mangus the Magician. For the past month, Fabrizio has been doing his best to make himself indispensable to his new master, hoping against hope that Mangus will show him the secrets behind his most mind-boggling feats of magic.

Mangus, however, sees little value in Fabrizio's earnest but sometimes irritating enthusiasm, and he hopes that his young charge will redirect his zeal toward learning something useful --- like reading --- instead of magic tricks. For even though Mangus earns his livelihood by staging magic shows in the town of Pergamontio, the magician holds little stock in the supernatural, preferring to put his faith in reason instead: "Here is Plato. Aristotle. Petrarch. Boccacio. The sublime Dante sits before you," says Mangus to his young servant as they sit in the magician's library. "Fabrizio, these are the world's true magicians. Learn to read them and all mysteries shall be revealed."

Little does Fabrizio know that his powers of reason --- and his newly forged skills at reading --- will be put to the test just a few minutes later, when Mangus is accused of treason by Pergamontio's chief prosecutor. It turns out that a mysterious someone, maybe someone in league with the devil, has been plastering the walls of the city with messages maligning King Claudio and calling for a change. The spooky part? Every single broadsheet seems to be written in the same, imperfect hand, something that seems impossible without the aid of magic. Mangus is well known for being able to make many copies of something out of nothing. Could he have used sorcery to conjure up these treasonous sayings?

Soon Fabrizio finds himself caught up in a web of court intrigue, superstition and suspicion. Who could want to overthrow the king? His own son, the equally superstitious Prince Cosimo? Or the prince's rival, Count Scarazoni, who values rationality over magic? Fabrizio must summon his own powers of reason and his understanding of illusion, as well as the help of a new friend (and a key piece of technology), to get to the bottom of the mystery and help save Mangus's life --- and his own future.

MURDER AT MIDNIGHT marks award-winning author Avi's 70th published book. It's a prequel of sorts to 1999's MIDNIGHT MAGIC, which starred a 12-year-old Fabrizio and many of the same supporting characters. But MURDER AT MIDNIGHT can certainly be enjoyed on its own terms, as both a terrifically suspenseful, complicated mystery and an exploration of philosophical issues at the heart of medieval culture. Avi skillfully manages to incorporate the conflicts between rational, Renaissance philosophy and medieval superstition, between enlightenment and misunderstanding, between education and ignorance, into the very plot of the mystery. Like Fabrizio himself, readers will enjoy challenging themselves to see if their own powers of reason can stand up to illusion, intrigue and murder.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder blends with Renaissance history in this story of magic, March 20, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder At Midnight (Hardcover)

Avi's MURDER AT MIDNIGHT tells of a deadly plot to overthrow King Claudio in Italy, where a magician has been marked as a scapegoat for a traitor and a faithful new servant boy decides to prove his master's innocence. Murder blends with Renaissance history in this story of magic.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Fans of Mystery, February 28, 2010

By 

Whatcha Reading Now? (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder At Midnight (Hardcover)

Fabrizio has finally made it off the streets. He is now the servant boy of the finest magician in Pergamontio, Italy--Mangus the Magician. Fabrizio has everything he's ever wanted: a home, food, and family. However, one thing can take it all away from him. King Claudio's fear of magic has made it difficult for Mangus to make a living.

One day, the king's guards show up at Mangus's door accusing him of producing treasonous pamphlets. All of Pergamontio is abuzz with news of exactly identical messages posted around the city. King Claudio believes only an evil, devil-dealing magician could have created such flyers. Has Mangus the Magician sold his soul to the devil? Or is he the unfortunate victim of court politics? Fabrizio, with his new friend Maria, must find out soon before Mangus is killed, and Fabrizio finds himself back on the streets again.

Avi's 70th book, Murder at Midnight, is set in the late 15th century, the time of the Renaissance. Although it is the sequel to Midnight Magic, Murder at Midnight is easy to understand and not filled with confusing references to the first book. Both mystery and historical fiction fans will rave about this exciting and enchanting novel.
-- Reviewed by Veronica L. Hernandez