Rooftoppers: 10th Anniversary Edition

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stars. This is pretty close to five stars and I might change my mind yet. Just a beautiful, lyrical and magical book, even though there is no literal magic or fantasy elements. The setting moves between the rooftops of London and Paris as our charming pair of criminals run from the authorities who wish to take Sophie away. Behind this, though, is the search for Sophie's mother and all they have to lead the way is the cello and it's music. numerous descriptions of the Paris skyline from the rooftops, yet not a single mention of Tour Eiffel and Sacre Coeur, the two landmarks that are visible from any high point in the city. By far the best part of this book is Sophie’s relationship with her foster father, Charles. Charles always encouraged Sophie’s peculiarities and never tried to fit her into a mould. His only method of upbringing was to love Sophie as much as possible – everything else was to work itself out. Parents can learn a lot from Charles; oftentimes we try too hard and focus on all the wrong things, and in the process, we neglect what’s most important. Sophie ate from book covers because she tended to break plates; she never brushed her hair, allowing it to become a tangled mess; she wore trousers sewn by Charles when girls were expected to wear pretty dresses, and she was homeschooled, mostly on Shakespeare. But she was the happiest child, free to become the person she was meant to. I meant, she knows the things which are important. Not all of them, of course; she is still a child. But many."

This book was simply wonderful and dealt with themes of friendship, love, family, and music. I loved Rundell's smart but simple writing style that was unlike most books published nowadays. She had a way of stating truths so plainly and beautifully that I just adored. It’s a mystery that drives the story, but the characters of the determined Sophie and bookish Charles are easy to love, which really makes the story as good as it is. The idea of “rooftoppers”, the people who live on roofs, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, is interesting, and it’s fun to follow Sophie as she becomes tangled up with the rooftoppers. A venture onto the hotel rooftop opens Sophie’s world when she discovers a community of orphan children called Rooftoppers. They live in shadows and move at night, and some of them are highly dangerous. As she begins to spend more time on the rooftops, Sophie learns about bravery and love. Will the rooftoppers be the key to Sophie’s mother-hunt? This might just be me, as I tend to have issues with most endings, but I was really unsatisfied with how this story wrapped up. Like, Sophie found her mom, but then it just ends? The rooftoppers storyline felt unresolved, as well as Charles’s. We never find out what happened with her mom, how she is still alive, if she gets to keep Sophie… A very cute, middle grade read. It kinda reminded me of "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Fluke since both books have a very similar feel. I'd say I liked "The Thief Lord" a little more, but I enjoyed both.Here is a story that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is the stuff of dreams and it is delightful. Sophie and Charles did not live neatly, but neatness, Sophie thought, was not necessary for happiness.” sophie is our young heroine, charles the man who took her in as a baby when she was found in the water after the capsizing of a boat, and miss eliot the social worker who disapproves of the whole situation. here:

Charles and Sophie go to the police station to find out if Vivienne was on the records of the sinking ship. The police refuse to let them see the ship’s records, which makes Charles and Sophie suspicious . Paris presents them with its own difficulties to overcome, but Sophie soon discovers new allies on the rooftops who can help her with her quest. First, there’s Matteo, a boy who walks tightropes and sleeps under a blanket made of pigeon feathers at night, and then there are his friends Anastasia and Safi, two wild girls who live in the top of Paris’s tallest trees. Racing across the rooftops of the city with only an elusive cello melody to follow, and her new friends to help her, Sophie is determined to find her mother before it is too late.I don’t really have that much to say about this book because I just really enjoyed it and it’s pretty much as simple as that. From the first line [ “On the morning of its first birthday, a baby was found floating in a cello case in the middle of the English Channel” ] I was tangled up in this gorgeous, unique and extremely heart-warming story about a girl with hair the colour of lightning who is searching for her mum after being rescued from a sinking ship by an eccentric man named Charles*. She disliked Sophie's watching, listening face. "It's not natural, in a little girl!" She hated their joint habit of writing each other notes on the wallpaper in the hall. Think of nighttime with a speaking voice. Or think how moonlight might talk, or think of ink, if ink had vocal chords. Give those things a narrow, aristocratic face with hooked eyebrows, and long arms and legs, and that is what the baby saw as she was lifted out of her cello case and up into safety. His name was Charles Maxim, and he determined, as he held her in his large hands - at arms length, as he would a leaky flowerpot - that he would keep her. From a plaque on her cello case, Sophie believes that her mother lives in Paris, so they decide to travel to France to escape the authorities who want to take Sophie away from Charles. I loved this quote, which takes place when a lady from the authorities comes to their house to say that Charles cannot look after Sophie because it really shines a light on Charles' character: "Your powers of observation are formidable," said Charles. "You are a credit to your optician." They have to travel very carefully to avoid being caught and Sophie has to cover her head because her hair is described as "being the colour of lightning" and therefore very recognisable. The story ends abruptly with Sophie finding her mother, there was no mention of what would happen to Charles or the rooftoppers now.

I said it would take quite a bit to make me want to scramble around on Parisian rooftops, but actually, all it’s taken is reading Rooftoppers. Finally, it's absolutely unbelievable. Yet another reason it bothered me but probably won't bother elementary readers. Sophie meets a boy called Matteo . Matteo is also an orphan and lives on the rooftops to avoid being found. He agrees to help Sophie in her search. It's true that this is a children's book, but I think readers of all ages will be able to enjoy it. The setting is in England and France and the descriptions of the cities are gorgeous—French pastry shops, parks, bridges, and streets.When the music went right, it drained all the itch and fret from the world and left it glowing. When she did stretch and blink and lay her bow down hours later, Sophie would feel tougher, and braver. It was, she thought, like having eaten a meal of cream and moonlight. When practice went badly, it was just a chore, like brushing her teeth. Sophie had worked out that the good and bad days divided half and half. It was worth it.Sophie's comfort with rooftops will come in handy later. For when she is twelve, the National Childcare Agency tell Charles that she must go to a Home to be Properly Looked After. Finding a label concealed inside the cello case that shows it was made in Paris, they realize that Sophie's mother might have been French, so they escape across the Channel to look for traces of her. All they can afford is a cheap hotel, where Sophie has an attic room with a skylight, and once again she climbs up to practice on the roof. I feel it would take quite a bit to make me want to scramble around on Parisian rooftops. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of heights in any way, and the views… well, they’d be pretty incredible, wouldn’t they? I thought this was a very original story and it was quite fast paced. I very much enjoyed it and the dialogue, particularly when Charles was speaking, was very entertaining. I became completely lost in the story and the descriptions of Paris at night made me really want to go and explore Paris by moonlight.