Balthazar Fabuloso in the Lair of the Humbugs

March 14, 2016
Twelve-year-old Balthazar Fabuloso is fed up with being the odd duck in his family of magiciansâhe can perform only "stage magic," not "real magic." After a humiliating incident during a dinner theater performance, Balthazar vows to quit the show, and his family vanishes into thin air. Then, the smelly and strange "Incomp'rable Ignatius" appears, Balthazar's uncle and guardian who disappeared 20 years earlier; they are joined by the unruly 12-year-old Pagan Fistula, a member of a rival magician family, when her family disappears, too. Their challenge: destroy the Gloaming, "a dark force with only one desireâto devour all living magic and return the world to the chaos and nothingness which are its domain." Brindle's first novel has strongly descriptive writing ("Instantly, the scattered pools of sympathy froze into lumps of ice") and plenty of adventure, and she supplements the main narrative with grouchy excerpts from Pagan's journal. There's also a lot of insult-slinging and racing around, but while the ending suggests future adventures for Balthazar, it's unclear whether this scattered outing will earn the young magician many fans. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8â12.

March 1, 2016
When his stage-magician family vanishes for real, can Balthazar find them? The Fabulosos may perform on stage, but they also have real magic...all except Balthazar; he's normal, and he wishes his family were. Hoping he will blossom late, his parents are positive and encouraging, but they are wrapped up in the family business. At a Christmas performance at the dinner theater where they work, they are heckled by rival magic family the Fistulas--and they disappear. A social worker leaves Balthazar with his wayward uncle, Ignatius. When the Fistulas disappear too (after taking over the dinner theater), their magic-using daughter, Pagan, joins the hunt for the missing magicians. Evidence mounts that someone is using anti-magical Gloaming, but will the International Brotherhood of Real Stage Magic help, or is the trio on their own? With references above the ken of the target audience and a few plot missteps, scriptwriter Brindle's debut fizzles like damp magician's powder. Balthazar is a passable Everykid, but the world around him never jells, nor is the tension tense. Pagan's occasional between-chapter "Log Entries" are unfunny and unnecessary. Judging by Walker's illustrations, the Fabulosos and Fistulas are white. Sleight of hand behind this bag of tricks is all too slight, no magic here. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Brindle's entertaining tale of rivalry between two contemporary families of real and stage magicians-the (mostly) loving, caring, and functional Fabulosos and their "worst nightmare," the conniving, malevolent, quarrelsome Fistulas-is related from the viewpoint of Balthazar, the second oldest Fabuloso youngster and only family member lacking magical ability. It's the day of the Fabulosos' annual winter holiday family show at the Magic Mansion Dinner Theater, and Balthazar's pet dove, Rover, is acting strangely. Then, the Fabulosos suddenly vanish from the stage and don't return. For the first time in his life, Balthazar must take charge of an unfamiliar and most unusual situation that involves the Fistulas' 11-year-old daughter, Pagan; Balthazar's long-lost Uncle Ignatius Fabuloso; and some fantastic, magical characters, including three Magi, each looking for "an apprentice who carries a spark of True Magick to train in the ways of the Magi." Balthazar must also be on the lookout for his missing family. There is evil in the magical world. A dark force called the Gloaming desires to devour all living things and return the world to chaos and nothingness. Entries from Pagan's diary, scattered throughout the story, offer readers some clues. VERDICT A fast-moving fantasy adventure, eccentric characters, and a mystery to solve add up to an intriguing and enjoyable story.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 4-7 Things have gotten so bleak for real-life magicians these days that archrival families the Fabulosos and the Fistulas are fighting over who gets to play dinky stage-magic shows at washed-up dinner theaters. Eleven-year-old Balthazar Fabuloso is the only one among them without any true magic, a fact that shames him. But when his family is swallowed by a cold, menacing gray fog on stage, it's up to himmagic or notto track them down, even if it means facing off with the Gloaming, one of the darkest evils in history. His only help is his annoying neighbor Pagan Fistula and a crazy uncle who smells like stinky feet. Brindle's debut is a fast-paced hoot. Although the plot runs from dark and creepy to downright macabre, Brindle is clearly having a blast, and it shows. Some of the humor might be over kids' heads at times, but when there are chapter titles like Gassius Fartibus and expletives like Merlin's green hairy meatballs! you know what you are in for: a gross but chuckle-worthy ride.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
A non-magical child in a magical family, Balthazar must solve his family's disappearance in this fast-paced fantasy that attempts (in the vein of Harry Potter) to balance dark themes such as violence and abandonment with offbeat humor and kooky details. Invented dialects and a confusing resolution will put off some readers, but thorough world-building and an energetic, dramatic plot may overcome these issues.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)