Murder At Midnight by Avi

Bibliography
Avi. (2009). Murder at midnight. New York: Scholastic Press.

254 pages

Plot
Fabrizio is a young boy living in Medieval Italy. A servant in Mangus the Magician’s household, Fabrizio is well liked by the mistress, but a bother to Mangus. Scared to lose his job, the Mistress encourages Fabrizio to be invaluable to Mangus while she is away. However, all is not what it seems in the kingdom. King Claudio is suspicious of his subjects and has outlawed magic within his realm. Mangus, unperturbed, still performs his illusions. His safety, though is threatened when papers throughout the kingdom are dispersed, each looking identical and spouting treason against the king. When Mangus is accused and imprisoned, Fabrizio must uncover the author of these letters, and exonerate his master.

Review
Avi’s Murder At Midnight is a fun mystery, with likeable characters just before the Renaissance in Italy. Fabrizio is a character who acts his age, using his instincts to rely on what he knows and nothing beyond. In many ways, Fabrizio is not the brightest of boys, but Avi never does him or the readers a disservice by allowing Fabrizio to be something he is not. It is through this that Avi creates realistic characters who understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses to overcome the corruption in the kingdom. While the mystery is initially murky, the reader is transfixed by the characters and the imagery Avi is able to convey.

Genre
Mystery

Reading Level/Interest Level
This book would appeal to younger tweens in grades 4th – 6th.

Similar Content
Midnight Magic by Avi
Crispin by Avi

Personal thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. It was not perfect, but I thought that it was an excellent mystery, well written and forces the reader to use logic. Avi does an excellent job with characterization, pace, tone, and setting.

Subjects/themes
Faith
Deception
Technology
Friendship
Medieval Italy

Awards
No known awards but marks Avi’s 70th published book.

Series information
Murder At Midnight is a prequel to Midnight Magic.

Character names/descriptions
Fabrizio: a young boy living as a servant in Mangus the Magician’s household.

Mangus the Magician: Master of the house who does not believe in magic, but rather his ability to perform illusions.

King Claudio: Suspicious and paranoid king, always thinking that there are threats against him and his kingdom. However, in this case he is correct.

Maria: Employee to her parents who own a printing press. Befriends Fabrizio.

Annotation
An apprentice, Fabrizio must learn to perform illusions, not magic, to free his master from impending death.