Publisher's Weekly Review
A timid orphan boy in 1867 Germany stars in a suspense novel praised by PW's starred review as "clever, fast-moving [and full of] memorable characters." Ages 10-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
It's hard to ask for more than this: an old-fashioned story that starts with an orphan, includes a mystery, and ends happily. In 1867 Germany, young Boniface Schroll is taken away from his aunt, who has been deemed incompetent to raise a boy, and sent to live with his uncle, a well-to-do mayor in the far off village of Graab. At first, Boniface's uncle seems to be a cold and orderly man of the law, and Boniface isn't sure he belongs under his care. He chronicles his adjustment to his uncle and the village community through an amiable, perceptive narrative. Boniface experiences some of the pitfalls of the provincial life through his secret friendship with an outsider, Christian Knapp, the son of a notorious robber; the Robber Knapp is a wrongfully persecuted man, and Boniface holds the key to his innocence. When Boniface shows his brave and upstanding character, his uncle makes a believable turn as a father figure. This is a sophisticated read, for those who like to escape to times past and lands far away, with a translator's note to provide context. (glossary) (Fiction. 12-14)
Booklist Review
Gr. 5^-8. When Boniface is orphaned at the age of 11 in 1867, he is sent from the city to live with his stern uncle, who is the mayor of a remote German village in the forest. Translated from the German with a beautiful immediacy, Boniface's endearing first-person narrative is comic and innocent, capturing the newcomer's bewilderment at the strangeness of country life and also his yearning to belong there. In the chaotic village schoolroom, he makes friends with Christian Knapp, who is ill-treated because his father is an outlaw-robber. Then Boniface discovers that Christian's father is not the robber. Does the orphan dare anger the authorities and risk his safe home with his uncle by revealing the truth? The plot has some awkward contrivances, but readers will smile at the naive observer who cannot cover up his love ("When she looked at me I was no longer myself") or his struggle to be brave ("I was surprised that I wasn't peeing in my pants in fear"). At the same time, there is an underlying seriousness in the story of outcast and orphan. The officials are ridiculous, but they are also powerful, and there is an elemental conflict between Boniface's yearning for a father and his loyalty to a friend. Winner of the Zurich Children's Book Prize, this should be a strong contender for the Batchelder Award. --Hazel Rochman
