When I started reading this, I thought it was a stand-alone novel; the description mentioned nothing about it being the start of a series and it clocks in at some 400 pages. But, alas, it is the start of a series, and therefore few answers are provided despite its 400 page length.

It's an interesting concept and a fast-paced story, but I'm frustrated so little was explained in this introduction to the series. There's not much of a conclusion to the book, and the future book(s) will be necessary to fully answer all the questions introduced in this book's plot.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley. ( )

Oh, this book! Funaro's writing reminded me very much of J.K. Rowling's at the beginning of the Harry Potter series. So simple to read, but oh-so-much-fun! Yes, I'm raving, I adored this book! My one and only critique, is that the author overuses some of the characters catch phrases. Otherwise, superb!

In Odditorium, we meet Grubb, like the worm, but with a double 'b', in the case you were wanting to write it down. He was left on the doorstep of the Mr. and Mrs Smears when he was quite young. While on a job with Mr. Smears, he sneaks into a trunk and the next thing he knows, the carriage leave and shortly after, he's arrived at Alistair Grim's Odditorium. What goes on this place? Is Mr. Grimm truly a mad sorcerer? What will become of Grubb? You must read the book to find out! ( )

A middle school fantasy book about a young orphan (Grubb) adopted by a chimney sweep's wife, who becomes a slave to the sweep when she dies. He escapes that life by hiding in a trunk, and is whisked away to London, where he finds himself in a strange environment with odd people and things, such as an ever-broken pocketwatch. They are kind to Grubb, and he eventually becomes a loyal apprentice there. This book is an entertaining collection of characters, magic, themes, and even, genres. Probably a 3.75. Nice illustrations by Vivienne To. ( )

Truth be told, Alistair Grim's Odditorium caught me with just its title. Can you blame me? I'm all about quirky tales and, even more than that, unique MG stories. I don't suppose I should have been surprised at how odd this story ended up at times. While the plot isn't overly complex, there are definitely a lot of moving pieces to Grubb's story. Now that I know this is a series, I'm not as worried anymore. Be warned though, you'll likely be left with burning questions at the end.

Let's talk about our main character, Grubb. I sure do love a plucky, young character, and Grubb fits that description to the letter. I caught myself comparing him to other young orphan lads, which I'm sure you can guess at but I won't mention precisely, and therefore I had a soft spot in my heart for him. I never get tired of rags to riches stories. Of courageous characters who end up in mischief through no fault of their own. Grubb was my kind of protagonist.

Unfortunately, I can't say I was given as much time to love the other characters in this story. My biggest gripe about Alistair Grim's Odditorium was the lack of character development. This book is very heavy on the action, which I'm sure was intentional since it's aimed at MG readers. However for readers like myself, and yes I was like this even when I was the intended audience for this book, the lack of character depth is tragic. I was so intrigued by Alistair Grim and his cast of fellow characters. I would have loved to get lost in their backgrounds. I can only hope that the next book in the series gives me that opportunity.

While the writing is solid, the plot is a little predictable. Odd things do happen. They most definitely do. However I was still quickly able to figure out where things were headed, and guess the ending before I arrived there. It is testament to the overall strength of this book that I read it through to the end though! Despite any qualms I may have had, it still managed to capture me enough that I'm looking forward to more. Do you have a young reader who loves adventure? Perhaps they'll want to give this book a shot. ( )

Grubb shows up on the Smears doorstep as a newborn all wrapped up looking like, well, a grub. So that became his name. Mr. Smear is rather abusive and once Mrs. Smear dies, things are pretty grim. Mr. Smear forces him to be a chimney sweep and after a mishap he runs away to avoid punishment. Up to this point the book is fantastic. I just love the beginning when you get to know the characters. And who doesn't love the Oliver Twist type character?

It's at this point, that he decides to stow away in what turns out to be Alistair Grimm's trunk. Here the magic of the beginning fades a little. Grubb ends up inside Grim's Odditorium and this is where the reader has to work at figuring out what this place is, who all the players are, who's good, who's bad, what's magical, what's not. So much is going on and you have to get to the end of the book to figure out how it all fits together. This is why no fantasy book has been able to do what Harry Potter did. I don't want to make this a review about Harry Potter, but Rowling made getting to know the characters the focus of the book. It wasn't about making the reader figure out a convoluted plot when you're only 20% into the book. The best books are always character oriented. Falling in love with the characters is what invests you. This book has too many characters that fleet in and out, and you never get to know them.

I was going to write a bit of a synopsis then realized that it would take way too long, and honestly the book just isn't worth that amount of my energy. It's a decent book, but I won't be reading the sequel. I wish the author had tightened things up better. ( )