The Pickpocket and the Gargoyle by Lindsay Eager

There are a host of very different characters in this splendid book. The setting feels like an ancient European city such as Paris or Rome and the unfinished cathedral, which has several gargoyles on the roof, is so well described I felt as though I was roaming right through the city and standing on the cathedral while I 'lived' through the whole year covered by this story. The descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells are so vivid. The derelict cathedral is at the centre of the story. It was built one hundred years ago in Odierne and is apply named Cathedral Sans Nom. A huge gargoyle observes the life of the city. He is not alone on the top of this building, but the other gargoyles are on the opposite side facing east and they shun him. Our alternate chapter narrator is the gargoyle facing west. One evening a young woman holding a tiny baby, climbs up to the roof of the ruined building in an attempt to escape the police. When she is finally cornered, she jumps into the river clutching her tiny baby. Eight years have now passed by the gargoyle still feels so much pain. His job is to protect but he failed to protect the mother and child. But what can he do. He is a gargoyle. He cannot move and he cannot talk, except to the pigeons who try to roost in his open mouth. He is powerless and deeply sad. 

Then we meet Duck. Duck is rescued as a tiny baby girl from the Saluire, the river that runs through the city. She is taken in by a gang of pickpockets and petty criminals all of whom are really children themselves. The gang call themselves Crowns. Duck does not know this yet but it is not a coincidence that the gang have moved into Odierne. The gang leader Gnat (this is the most perfect name for him) organises for Duck to work for Griselde as a baker's apprentice. His scheme is to have Duck steal bread and money to pass onto the Crowns each Saturday at the market. But Duck has a destiny. It is clear from the beginning she has a talent for baking and for creating delicious flavor combinations especially with her favourite herb - rosemary.

As I said at the beginning of this post, each of the characters in this book is so well drawn. Baker Griselde is a huge woman with enormous patience and good sense. Her journeyman Petrus is a thin suspicious figure who is always watching Duck. In the gang Ash, is both Duck's rescuer and her one true friend. Gnat, leader of the Crowns, revels in the power he wields over this group of young orphans but Duck has learnt to watch his face closely and from time to time she sees tiny hints of his true character and yearning to know about his own past and possible family. As for Duck, it is a joy to watch her transformation from a timid, almost silent child, into a young girl who learns to read, to bake and who gains enough confidence to question Gnat especially now he seems to be conspiring with the dangerous rival gang the Red Swords. 

Publisher blurb: Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run – until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to put down roots. It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat, to ensure the Crowns always have a steady supply of food and money. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly local baker than her allegiances start to blur. Who is she really: a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be? Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfil his own destiny to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.

I have had this book on my to read pile for many months. I picked it up a couple of times but the opening prelude to the story didn't quite grab me. This book has 448 pages and so I did keep pushing it to the bottom of the pile until this week. I did take the whole week to read this book but near the end I devoured the final chapters because they were so gripping. I was desperately hoping Duck would finally find her true place in the world even though Gnat had so horribly used and betrayed her.  After reading this book (or perhaps listening to an audio version if one is made) you will want to head off to your own local bakery so you can also devour some delicious breads in as many different forms and flavours as you can find. I recommend this book for keen readers who have good reading stamina aged 10+.

Here is an excellent review by Margot Hillel for Reading Time:

This is a book about loyalty and choices, particularly having one’s loyalty tested when required to choose sides. It is also about belonging and community; about what makes a home and what constitutes a family. It is a multi-layered book that will benefit from discussion in a class but is also a rich, individual reading experience.

"The craft of the baker is described in mouth-watering detail, and the reader gains some insight into how medieval guilds might have operated. ... Those interested in historical fiction (with a touch of magical realism) will enjoy this one." Reading Time Margaret McKay-Lowndes March, 2023.

Companion books:

The Threads of Magic

A Very Unusual Pursuit

Crookhaven: The School for Thieves by JJ Arcanjo

 

Gabriel Avery and his grandmother are just getting by. His grandmother works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family but the pay is so low that often they only eat one meal a day. Gabriel, however, has a talent for picking pockets. His grand mother does not ask any questions but Gabriel is able to 'obtain' enough money each day so that they don't starve.

In his pocket Gabriel carries a lucky coin but one day, after picking a pocket at the railway station, his coin is stolen. In its place he finds a card inviting him to a town called Moorheart. In this remote and deserted place he discovers a school for crooks. He discovers students with other amazing talents. He discovers why the Headmaster of the school, the aptly named Caspian Crook, stole his coin. And later he discovers just why he was selected to attend this school.

When books proclaim - "Perfect for fans of Harry Potter" - I usually cringe but I found myself saying exactly that as I read this debut novel, the first in a planned series. Actually this book does not use the Harry Potter marketing strategy but it could!

There are heaps of Harry Potter tropes in this book but they do not feel worn out. JJ Arcanjo adds such a layer of intelligence to this story of a school for criminals albeit criminals who will do good deeds.

"The word crook is misunderstood, I think. You steal for the same reason we at Crookhaven steal - to put the world back into balance."

Things about the school:

• Sorting into classes is done by pebbles which leave a colour on your hands - 1A (blue), 1B (red), 1C (green) and 1D (Yelloe). 
• Students can win and loose points. The goal is to win the Crooked Cup.
• There are two types of students - Merits (like Gabriel) and Legacies (offspring of crooks)
• The youngest/newest students are called Crooklings and this year there are 48
• Other years are called Miscreants, Lower Delinquents and the final year students are Robin Hoods.
• The guards around the school are called Gardeners but they are really skilled crooks and the grounds have very sophisticated sensors and cameras.
• Classes - Forgery; Deception; History of Crookery; Tricks of the Trade; Cultivating a Crook; Crimtastics and Tech-nique.
• The challenge - to break into the Headmaster's office and steal something without him knowing that something is missing.
• Friends: Penelope Crook; twins Ade and Ede; and Amira.
• Characters you will want to meet again in book 2 - Leon Marquez (Robin Hood) and Villette  (is she really a villain?). 

One final thing - here is a description of the librarian:

"A slender, red-haired librarian strode past, her burnt-caramel eyes sweeping over the two of them ... she wore black jeans, a thick maroon fleece and thin black gloves, likely to protect the more precious books from fingerprints."

The technology in this book reminded me of  the Artemis Fowl series.  If you want to read another book with Harry Potter overtones try to find this one (sadly it is long out of print)

The Hound of Rowan - The Tapestry Book One

Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy of Crookhaven: The School for Thieves (Hodder/Hachette) which will be released in March 2023.