Set in 1849 London, fourteen-year-old John Horatio Huffman tells about the misfortunes that befall his family when his father is arrested and sen tenced for gambling debts. As he tries to help, John is caught up in a plot of intrigues and spies that involve his father’s work in the Naval Ordinance Office and Scotland Yard. There are vivid descriptions of London with its chaotic, bustling streets and a full range of Dickensian characters. Avi’s hom age to Dickens includes descriptions of the villainous Sergeant Muldspoon’s “Military Motivated Academy,” a “sponge house,” and the debtor’s prison. Among his numerous awards, Avi received the 2003 Newbery Award for Crispin: The Cross of Lead . hc