How to Catch a Bogle

How to Catch a Bogle

By Catherine Jinks

8 ratings 15 reviews 20 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 6n/a5.261873

If ever a chill entered her soul, or the hope suddenly drained from her heart, she knew a bogle was to blame.

Birdie McAdam, a ten-year-old orphan, is tougher than she looks. She's proud of her job as apprentice to Alfred the Bogler, a man who catches monsters for a living. Birdie lures the bogles out of their lairs with her sweet songs, and Alfred kills them before they kill her. On the mean streets of Victorian England, hunting bogles is actually less dangerous work than mudlarking for scraps along the vile river Thames. (See glossary!) Or so it seems—until the orphans of London start to disappear . . .

 

 

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780544336278
ISBN-10: 0544336275
Published on 12/2/2014
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320

Book Reviews (15)

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This book is the best book I've read!! It is spooky but really good. Read "How To Catch A Bogle", Bye: Catherine Jinks!

Wow I really want this book sign me up PLEASE!!!!

How to Catch a Bogle is about a girl named Birdie who is apprenticed to a bogler called Alfred. Bogling is a dangerous job and Birdie’s role is to stand in a circle made out of salt and sing to lure the bogle out of its lair. When the bogle is finally taken the bait Birdie jumps out of the circle and Alfred stabs the bogle. Bogling is a respectable job and Birdie thinks she is in no danger of any bogles harming her, because she is fast and light on her feet. Or so she thinks, until kids start disappearing all over town. The first 150 pages or so were a little slow, it seemed there was no real plot, and all the book would be about was one bogle-killing mission after another. But after the story picked up and developed more of a plot the book was pretty good. The one part I got kind of mad about was when the author (Catherine Jinks) copied the monster Grindylow from Harry Potter. And what the monster did in both books was generally the same. Other than that I thought the whole idea of bogles was interesting.

This is a really really great book. How To Catch a Bogle follows Birdie, a 10 year old orphan, is taken in by Alfred, a "bogler", or killer of bogles. He calls it "getting rid of pests". Bogles are monsters. Birdie's job is very dangerous, just one wrong move and she could be killed. But she gets by, and she knows she's better off than being a beggar or a "tosher" who roams the sewers. Then she's offered another life, a life as a singer with Miss Eames. Birdie is torn. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well put together, it hooks you in right from the start. It has adventure, drama, and even some glamor and romance. Something I loved about this book was how it makes you feel. It makes you feels Birdie's frustration or anger, it makes you understand how she feels. The only negative thing about this book is it contains some mild language and drinking, also it be frightening for young children. I'd reccommend it for 10 +. Happy reading!

I really liked the book. There were a lot of things in Birdie McAdams life as a bogler. You will get stuck to parts when bogles are around! I recommend it to people 10+. When bogles come it gets violent sometimes. I really liked the book!

This is a pretty interesting book. Just like Birdie said that there was so much excitement and variety in a bogler’s life, there is a lot of excitement and variety in this book too.

Unlike other protagonists that I've met in children's literature, Birdie is entirely unassuming! She's this kid who just happens to have a gift that she uses to eradicate monsters! I liked this book, though I thought the Bogles were not very well developed. They seemed pretty scary at first, though!

Hunting bogles is a dangerous job. One, you might say, not suitable for ten year olds. Well Birdie McAdam, an orphan, is an 11-year-old bogler's girl. Her boss, Alfred, catches bogles by luring them into traps (using Birdie) and killing them. Bogles are dangerous creatures that thrive on children, making them threats to society. Birdie has always been mandatory for bogle-hunting, singing with her sweet voice to lure bogles to their death. When Miss Eames, a polite London woman, offers Birdie a chance to be a singer, her job is threatened. How can she leave when childrena all over London are disappearing? And that's not the only problem! Birdie is unexpectedly kidnapped by a person you would least suspect to be evil.... Read "How to Catch a Bogle" to find out what happens to Birdie! In my personal opinion, this book is okay. This book is a part of a trilogy, and the next book comes out in fall 2014, so look forward to that!

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