The Song of Seven

January 15, 2018
A young schoolteacher's drawn into a conspiracy to free an orphan and discover a treasure.Frans van der Steg teaches a class of 10- and 11-year-olds in a small village. In the last few minutes each day, he regales his students with adventurous tales of Frans the Red. Out of tales one day, he tells the children he's waiting for a letter from someone enigmatic...and that evening one arrives with an unreadable signature. Who is "Gr...Gr...," why is he sending his "man" to pick Frans up tomorrow, and why does he believe Frans initiated their correspondence? Frans gets in the carriage the next night but ends up stranded at the crossroads known as Sevenways. A ruffian on a scooter Frans initially knows only as Biker Boy gets him back to town. Frans can't help but return to explore the six roads that meet at the signpost called Sevenways. Exploring one on his bike leads him to the Thirsty Deer pub and Biker Boy, now calling himself Roberto, and the mysterious magician Mr. Thomtidom, who initiates Frans into the Conspiracy of Seven. Dragt's twisty, light mystery tale has the charm of an old classic (which it is, having been published originally in Dutch in 1967). The pleasure in this whimsically Kafkaesque tale is in its unfolding, as Frans meets a series of ever quirkier (and evidently all-white) characters.It's not for every reader, but the slow reveals will keep the pages turning for fans of Elizabeth Enright and E. Nesbit. (Mystery. 10-15)

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Starred review from January 1, 2018
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* In 1967, Dragt published this enchanting novel, which went on to become a Dutch classic. Now translated into English, American readers finally have the chance to experience the many delights and peculiarities of Dragt's story about a teacher, a captive child, a lost treasure, and a mysterious conspiracy. Frans van der Steg, a teacher in his early twenties, loves to tell his students heroic stories. The opportunity arises for Frans to step into the hero's role when an unexpected letter arrives, asking him to be the new tutor of 10-year-old Geert-Jan, who resides with a greedy uncle in the Escher-like House of Stairs. The plot thickens when Frans learns that he is also to be a spy for an eclectic group secretly working to free Geert-Jan from his uncle, who is using the boy to find an old family treasure hidden within the house. With the help of his students, Frans and Geert-Jan begin to piece together the generations-old mystery. These days, it's uncommon for adults to occupy a middle-grade novel's main roles; however, Dragt's grown-up characters readily ally themselves with children, treating them as equals and inviting them (and so, young readers) to participate in the story. While not high fantasy, Dragt's tale is a curious, magical adventure that will appeal to those who love Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)