Eighteenth-century Vienna: Amid the glamour of musical court life, fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria must solve the brutal murder of her father, an acclaimed violinist. Who stole his violin, and why was he found near a Gypsy encampment, wearing a valuable pendant Theresa has never seen before? Her quest for answers soon puts her in the middle of an ongoing battle between serf sympathizers and the Hungarian nobility.
Summary Theresa Maria feels compelled to investigate why her father, a violinist in Haydn’s orchestra, has been murdered. The search for clues leads her into the middle of a palace intrigue involving the legal rights of land owners, serfs, and the Romany people—the Gypsies whose music Theresa Maria’s father so admired. It also places Theresa Maria dangerously close to her lascivious uncle Wolkenstein, a powerful opponent of her father’s cause and a man willing to sell his relatives into sexual slavery for his own political gain.
Topics Death. Loss. Missing items. Mysteries. Funerals. Family. Godfathers. Family finances. Violins. Music. Humiliation. Vision problems. Gypsies. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). Rich relatives. Publishing contracts. Practical jokes. Dressmakers. Spies. Serfdom. Going to a ball. Prostitution. Kidnapping. Imprisonment. Sewers. Escape. Guns. Girls dressing as boys. Armed attacks. Disguises. Role playing. Court cases. Appeals. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780). Public executions. Stays of execution. Joseph II of Austria (1741-1790). Evidence. Vindication.
SRC Level 7.400000
SRC Points 19.000000
Lexile 950L
Trim Size 5 1/16" x 7 3/4"
JLG Span Fall
Language English
JLG Release Date Feb 2009
Minimum grade 9
Maximum grade 12
Reading level High
Format Print
Young Adult Plus (Grades 9 & Up)
Young Adult Plus
Young Adult Plus (Grades 9 & Up)
For Grades 9 & Up
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