Rosa by Starlight

This author has often excelled in domestic stories that approach fantasy while still just remaining rooted in everyday reality. Rosa by Starlight crosses this border, with its gentle, neglected eleven-year-old heroine able to bring all the inhabitants of over-crowded Venice to a total stop as she rescues herself from a murder attempt. This is from a very dubious and possibly self-selected Aunt and Uncle who move in after Rosa’s parent die in a plane accident. But these are disappointingly unsubtle characters, chronic over-weight and flashy teeth signalling villainy at every mention. The scorn visited upon their artificial lawn company is reminiscent of Dahl’s intolerance of characters whose occupations he also disapproved of.

There are some golden moments, with Rosa desperately trying to get admitted into an orphanage or else irritating every person on her plane journey by asking the stewards to repeat their demonstration as she had not understood it first time round. The atmosphere of Venice at its most beguiling – and sometimes dangerous – is also well caught, backed up by Keith Robinson’s beautiful line drawings. Cats make a frequent appearance, with one magisterial feline looked after by staff from whom he orders his lunch every day with a flick of the paw onto an illustrated menu. But the murder plot never rings true, and the summary drowning of the two miscreants passes almost without comment. In her acknowledgments the author describes writing this story while taking a break from a longer novel. There is still much to enjoy in the loving way she looks after Rosa, steering her towards a happy if somewhat unlikely ending. But her fans must also be looking forward to the next story which for them could last quite as long as she likes.