MAGIC BELOW STAIRS

Frederick is an orphan in the kind of institution where boys get locked in the stillroom for minor infractions. But Billy Bly, a small creature with an agenda of his own, looks after Frederick in his way, even following when the boy is taken into the service of a wizard named Lord Schofield, where his uncanny knack for tying a cravat is noticed. He’s a plucky boy, wondering about Billy and learning from Bess, a friendly scullery maid with a raft of relatives, many of whom serve Lord Schofield. When the household moves to the lord’s country estate, Frederick goes with it and finds himself enmeshed in a not-quite-scrubbed-out curse on the wizard’s family. The book is gracefully and winningly written, moves at a swift pace and allows Frederick to show himself as both an 11-year-old boy and a budding student of magic. Older readers will recognize Thomas and Kate Schofield of Sorcery and Cecelia, co-written by the author with Patricia Wrede (2003). Lovely and lively. (“According to Bess” glossary) (Historical fantasy. 8-12)