Mark, an eleven-year-old with a new stepfather, is horrified by his family’s move from bustling London to the sleepy seaside town of Brighton. Mark has left behind his father and friends for the rainy holiday destination and dreams mastering daredevil tricks on his skateboard and walking the shopping district with his mother. Only two things stand in his way – his inability to remain on the skateboard for even a few seconds, and his mother’s severe illness that prevents her from leaving the house.

As Mark’s hostility towards his stepfather grows, so does his need to escape. When Mark falls from his window while sneaking out of the house the old woman in the downstairs apartment comes to his rescue. She offers Mark a small hard rock cake and access to a secret big enough to keep him from his skateboard and out of his stepfather’s reach.

The story begins quite slowly and will never fall into the category of "can’t put down", but becomes intriguing when Mark enters the nineteenth century servants quarters. He is removed from his own problematic world and the story begins to take on a fantasy element.

I found it difficult to relate to the character of Mark. I struggle to remember myself as at that age and therefore found his self-centeredness frustrating. I am also too old to associate with having an eleven-year-old son so it was difficult to see me in the place of either his mother or stepfather. But I did appreciate MM Smith’s ability to entirely capture the psyche of an eleven-year-old, and the reactions of a new-stepparent. I enjoyed the fantasy element of the book, but was disappointed with the ending that seemed hurried.

The Servants is a great read for those in the eight to eleven-year-old age group and solid reading for those outside this range. Anyone who has recently become a stepparent would also benefit from the relationships between the characters in this story.

The plot may start slowly but the writing is tight and encapsulates the secret nineteenth century world of the servant’s quarters. It is written with imagination and is emotionally charged. Pick up a copy if you are interested in understanding pre-teens and the world that revolves around them.

Image courtesy of Harper Collins.