At the sign of the Sugared Plum
Mary Hooper
Bloomsbury 2003

The Bubonic Plague is hardly everyone’s idea of a neat topic for children’s stories but these two new titles for young teen readers use the horrors of the great plague outbreaks as background for stories of courage and friendship. 

A Company of Fools is set in France in 1348 during the Black Death that killed a third of Europe’s entire population, while the scene for At the Sign of the Sugared Plum is London in 1665 when a third of that whole city’s population died.  Both use the voice of a young survivor to tell of the fear, desperation and hysteria that sweep through people in their towns, and how each finds the strength and luck to face the horrors. 

Henri, the narrator of A Company of Fools, is a shy choirboy at an abbey on the outskirts of Paris.  Into his life comes Micah, a street urchin with the voice of an angel.  For a while the two discover the play that has been missing from their lives but the sudden sweep of the plague shatters all that.  For a while the boys are part of a group from the abbey who travel around Paris trying to cheer the suffering people but, when Micah’s voice is claimed to be a cure for the Plague, they must face the evils of greed and exploitation as well as disease. 

Deborah Ellis has shown her understanding of children in crisis in her brilliant Parvana books.  Her portrayal of Henri’s dilemma, between conscience and friendship, is touching and very realistic.  A short historical note, with map and glossary, add some interesting historical reference to the book. 

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum also includes some historical extras but these are recipes for 17^th century lollies and treats!  The Sugared Plum is the sweet shop run in London by Abigail, sister of the narrator Hannah.  When Hannah joins Abigail from the family farm, their trays of frosted rose petals and sugared orange peels find a ready market among the gentry of the town.  And when reports of sudden sickness become more common, their business does even better as people look for any cure.  But when houses are boarded up with stricken families inside and people die in the streets, they realise they must try to escape the barricaded city. 

While its setting is historical, and accurate, Hannah’s story is probably a more of a modern teenager’s with her worries about fashion, celebrities and boyfriends.  But it still gives a strong and personal impression of a city ravaged by sickness and superstition. 

Hannah's story is continued in Petals in the Ashes, set a year later when the Plague was superseded by an even more immediate threat, the Great Fire of London.  Once again, the refusal by so many Londoners to admit the reality and urgency of their danger leads them to disaster while plucky Hannah barely escapes.

Both ACompany of Fools and At the Sign of the Sugared Plum are fascinating studies of another time which, with thoughts of AIDS and SARS, may not be too far away from ours.

Other books by Deborah Ellis:
Parvana (Allen & Unwin, 2002)
Parvana's Journey (Allen & Unwin, 2002)
Shauzia (Allen & Unwin, 2003)
Looking for X (Allen & Unwin, 2003)

Review by David Beagley

© 2004 David Beagley