Ever since their mother was wrongfully imprisoned, Clarrie and her brother, Will, have been forced to live with their negligent uncle in England. Uncle Len works as a ventriloquist in the nearby music hall, and although he and his dummy, Frozen Billy, put on a good show, Uncle Len is constantly drinking away his pay. Then Will hatches a plan to improve the act – by performing as Uncle Len’s second dummy – and soon they’re making more money than ever. But to Clarrie’s horror, just as things should be looking up, they begin to turn terribly sour. Complete with detailed pen-and-ink line art, Anne Fine’s chilling Edwardian drama brings to life a wooden stage dummy who may just have the power to destroy an entire family.
