Their parents away, brother and sister Clarrie and Will must live with their uncle Len - a ventriloquist on the Victorian music-hall stage whose dummy, Frozen Billy, gives Clarrie the creeps. Soon Will is part of the act and Clarrie is scared that Frozen Billy is taking over their family. Can she find the determination and courae to break free from their uncle help her family set off for a new lifin Australia?
Frozen Billy
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Amazon Review
Mining the myriad of rich and atmospheric story themes that spring from the colourful heyday of the old Victorian music halls, Anne Fine’s latest novel is a visual and eerily spooky treat that more than lives up her reputation as one of the country’s finest writers for children. The award-winning author of Flour Babies and Goggle-Eyes, Fine has recently been the Children’s Laureate and is consistently original and witty and entertaining in all of her work. Many a recent author of children’s books could learn a thing or two about writing and narrative by reading Fine’s extensive backlist.
Here, her story concerns the fate of brother and sister, Clarrie and Will, whose misfortunes lead them into residing with their Uncle Len. While their father is in Australia trying to secure a job and a brighter future for his family, their mother, in Ireland for a funeral, is trapped there--wrongly accused of stealing a basket of food. Len’s brilliance as a ventriloquist is matched only by his special ability to destroy his career by the consumption of beer.
Then one of Will’s seemingly perfect ideas saves the day. He suggests that he dresses up as the twin of Len’s dummy, Frozen Billy, to form a new act. Carrie is severely unnerved by Len’s life-like dummy and becomes even more so when Will’s personality begins to change and distort when their double act is a success. Carrie thinks this new stage act has the power to destroy her whole family and she must act fast to save everybody.
Fine’s unsettling narrative is different from her trademark domestic dramas--but it is equally as powerful. It’s a chilling tale, with hints of the supernatural that nevertheless has charm and excitement. And, as with all of Fine’s novels, is has the requisite happy ending. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay
Review
" A fascinating and engaging Victorian thriller. Beautifully written, gripping and ingenious."
- "The Bookseller"
" This is a real treat. Her trademark humour, engaging characters and flawless prose are put to great effect in this spooky adventure."
- "Teaching and Learning"
- "The Bookseller"
" This is a real treat. Her trademark humour, engaging characters and flawless prose are put to great effect in this spooky adventure."
- "Teaching and Learning"
"From the Trade Paperback edition."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Livvy H
Format:Hardcover
Frozen Billy is a strange puppet which Uncle Len uses in his ventriloquism act. Clarrie and Will are brother and sister. They're father is in Australia, and often writes of the wonders of it, and how he looks forward to them coming (they cannot currently afford it). Their mother goes to a funeral in Ireland, and finds herself getting arrested, which leaves Clarrie and Will under the care of Uncle Len. They have barely any money for Uncle Len spends it on drink, and when Will imitates Frozen Billy jokily, Uncle Len sees a new idea for his stage act- Will on one knee dressed as Frozen Billy, Frozen Billy on the other. The story continues to unfold, Uncle Len getting worse, and poor Will getting weaker, until Clarrie comes up with a clever idea to save everyone. It finishes with a charming ending.
This is a lovely story set in the past (although it doesn't say, I think around Victorian times) Recommended for younger readers as it doesn't dig deep in to Clarrie's emotions. I suggest around 7-12.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eerie adventure, surreal and satisfying
16 Oct 2009
By Experienced Editor
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Ever since Pinocchio, children's stories have featured a variety of puppets and toys that come to life, and even children who turn into toys. Frozen Billy is indeed a puppet--or, more precisely, a marionette--but he remains a wooden dummy throughout this eccentric adventure. In a unique plot twist, a living child pretends to be a marionette, and does this so successfully that an entire novel hangs on the deception.
Set one hundred years ago in Edwardian England, "Frozen Billy" is narrated through a series of notebooks kept by feisty Clarissa, called Clarrie. Her father is in Australia, working to earn passage for the family to join him. When Mother goes to a funeral in Ireland and is unjustly jailed, Clarrie and her little brother Will suddenly find themselves in the care of their strange Uncle Len. A music hall ventriloquist, Uncle Len and his dummy, the Frozen Billy of the title, amuse audiences every night--but Clarrie and Will are not amused that Uncle Len moves into their home, drinks up his paychecks, and takes control of their lives. When Will shows an uncanny talent for mimicking Frozen Billy, Uncle Len incorporates his nephew into the act in hopes of doubling his earnings at the music hall.
Clarrie struggles to hold the family together as the dire situation grows more and more ominous. At first enthusiastic about the act, Will gradually changes from a happy-go-lucky boy to a gloomy, grim shadow of himself, and Clarrie wonders: Is he in fact somehow, mysteriously, turning into a marionette? In desperation, she embarks on a risky rescue scheme that involves a second dummy--and her own theatrical talent.
This complex, captivating novel achieves a rare balance: poetic prose that maintains a believable child's voice. Pencil illustrations by Georgina McGain increase the eerie quality of this chilling adventure. Don't miss the surreal and satisfying "Frozen Billy"!
Set one hundred years ago in Edwardian England, "Frozen Billy" is narrated through a series of notebooks kept by feisty Clarissa, called Clarrie. Her father is in Australia, working to earn passage for the family to join him. When Mother goes to a funeral in Ireland and is unjustly jailed, Clarrie and her little brother Will suddenly find themselves in the care of their strange Uncle Len. A music hall ventriloquist, Uncle Len and his dummy, the Frozen Billy of the title, amuse audiences every night--but Clarrie and Will are not amused that Uncle Len moves into their home, drinks up his paychecks, and takes control of their lives. When Will shows an uncanny talent for mimicking Frozen Billy, Uncle Len incorporates his nephew into the act in hopes of doubling his earnings at the music hall.
Clarrie struggles to hold the family together as the dire situation grows more and more ominous. At first enthusiastic about the act, Will gradually changes from a happy-go-lucky boy to a gloomy, grim shadow of himself, and Clarrie wonders: Is he in fact somehow, mysteriously, turning into a marionette? In desperation, she embarks on a risky rescue scheme that involves a second dummy--and her own theatrical talent.
This complex, captivating novel achieves a rare balance: poetic prose that maintains a believable child's voice. Pencil illustrations by Georgina McGain increase the eerie quality of this chilling adventure. Don't miss the surreal and satisfying "Frozen Billy"!
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