The Red Necklace - Sally Gardner

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  Older Children/Young Adult read set at the beginning of the French Revolution which will not bore you with too many facts, but will have you turning those pages over as fast as you can, following the adventures of a young orphan lad Yan, his mentor and teacher - a dwarf called Tetu,  a girl called Sidone and of course, a wonderfully bad villain!  Yan is a magician's assistant, and one of his skills is throwing his voice - so he can be used off-stage and nobody knows he's doing it.  When what looks like a terrible accident befalls the magician,  he and Tetu are convinced that it was no accident.  But how to prove it?
  
  
  This is a real adventure, and not for those with faint heart, either, as there are some descriptions in the book that may make you a bit queasy, for the beginnings of the French Revolution was not a pleasant time.  When Yan sets out to help the magician on that fateful night, he has no idea how his life will change, what enemies he will make, and what strangers will help him.  
  If you read and enjoy this one, it has a follow-on "The Silver Blade" which I have ordered as I enjoyed this one so much.
  
  
  At the back of the book are three pages which explain coherently what caused the French Revolution - three pages worth reading for all that knowledge!