The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

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Mark Twain Nominee

The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

391 pages

So far, out of all of the award books I have read, this by far is my favorite! Giuseppe, Frederick, and Hannah, are three very determined kiddos, ready to get out of there present lives, and move on to better things. Hannah is a determined hotel maid, who has given up her childhood to help care for her sick father, her mother, and two little sisters. Giuseppe is a young busker, who plays violin for coins on the street, hoping to make enough to avoid the violent wrath of his padrone...he secretly hoards his few precious extra coins to buy passage back to his Italian homeland. Frederick is an orphan who is apprenticed out to a clockmaker...secretly in the basement of the clock shop he quietly builds his own clockwork man, an automaton that will award him journeyman in his field so that he may one day open his own shop.

I think what I loved about this book is that everyone makes huge mistakes constantly. They are constantly doing the wrong thing, and having to make things right. Nothing is smooth for these kids, but they keep trying. There stories weave themselves together, until finally they meet and work together to make all of their dreams a reality. Loved this book! Will definitely be recommending this to the library kids.