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Reviewed by:
  • The Diamond of Drury Lane
  • Elizabeth Bush
Golding, Julia; The Diamond of Drury Lane. Roaring Brook, 2008; 424p (Cat Royal Adventures) ISBN 978-1-59643-351-9 $12.50 R Gr. 4–7

Catherine “Cat” Royal has been communally raised by the artists and crew of London’s Drury Lane Theatre ever since she was taken in as a foundling by its owner Mr. Sheridan. When she’s caught listening in on a conversation involving Sheridan hiding a diamond on the premises, he solicits her assistance in keeping the matter secret. This is no easy charge, given that a vicious Covent Garden street gang (led by truly villainous young thug Billy Shepherd) and an ex-slave violin prodigy, Pedro Hawkins, have powerful motives for laying their hands on a valuable gem. Cat’s determined to keep Sheridan’s trust, even at risk of her well-being or her life, and when she finally realizes the nature of the “diamond” (an attractive nobleman whose political cartoon criticisms of King George III have sent him into hiding as a theater prompter), she’s not the only one in mortal danger. It won’t matter a bit if readers don’t know Richard Brinsley Sheridan from Adam’s cat, as supplying a fascinating venue is his main role. Likewise, readers who discern from the start that Cat is on the wrong scent (the overheard conversation is suspiciously ambiguous) won’t necessarily feel shortchanged, since there’s plenty of tense drama to follow backstage and streetside over the ensuing four hundred pages. Further adventures for Cat are promised, and fans of this debut outing will expect Golding to keep her word. Period maps and a glossary of eighteenth-century terms are included.

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