Foulsham

Starred review from April 15, 2015
The middle volume of the Iremonger trilogy escalates in both suspense and strangeness. In a fantastical Victorian London, the Iremongers have become wealthy, eccentric outcasts through managing the city's rubbish, protecting themselves by the secret ability to change people into talismanic objects-and vice versa. After defying his family, Clod Iremonger is transformed into a gold coin, while his beloved Lucy Pennant becomes a clay button, cast into the vast heaps of garbage. As Clod is passed around by the downtrodden folk of Foulsham and Lucy befriends Binadit (the exiled "It of the Heaps"), the macabre past, despicable doings, and sinister plans of the Iremonger clan are slowly unveiled. Along the way, Carey's splendidly deranged imagination and deliciously peculiar prose are on display, introducing a Dickensian cast simultaneously pathetic and grotesque. The lead couple gains depth as well; sweet, kind Clod, "the friend of things," discovers unexpected talents and surprising fortitude, while cynical, light-fingered Lucy reveals a new, fierce tenderness and revolutionary zeal. Their parallel storylines dance without intersecting, finally reuniting only to be torn apart in a climax of apocalyptic industrial horror. Beyond the gripping adventure and creepy illustrations, the premise demands consideration of the tendency of raw capitalism to make people and things both interchangeable and disposable. A story wondrous fine, full of terrors and marvels. (Horror. 11 & up)

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Starred review from June 1, 2015

Gr 6-9-In this sequel to Heap House (Overlook, 2014), the tides of the Heap have turned, and James Henry Hayward, formerly a bath plug, is in possession of Clodius Iremonger, formerly a strange young man, now a half sovereign coin. James Henry does not, at the start, know the significance of the coin he holds, only that he shouldn't lose it. Hunger overtakes him, though, and he sorrowfully spends it on a bun and a pie. Thus, Clod is introduced to life as an object, as he begins to hear the woes of the other coins in the cash drawer. Meanwhile, Lucy Pennant is renewed to her human form in the presence of a bizarre new character called Binadit, a man made of trash who lives in the Heaps. This is the story of Clod and Lucy trying to find their way back to one another, of James Henry Hayward's search for his family, and the revelation of the heartbreaking background of Binadit. Black-and-white illustrations by the author are absolutely unsettling, and are integral to the story. The cliff-hanger ending is even more dramatic than in the first installment. Due to the extremely original, (and yes, very weird) nature of the tale, it's imperative that readers start with the first book to be able to make any sense of this volume. VERDICT Fans of Heap House will be thrilled with this sequel-it shines with heart and creativity.-Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX

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