Gustav Gloom and the People Taker (9781101620748) by Kristen (ILT) Adam-Troy; Margiotta Castro

hands, she had tucked her engraved tablet and the handle of her burning torch under her right armpit; and, true to what would have happened to anybody itchy enough to do something so careless with a flame, she’d accidentally set the fabric around her shoulders on fire. Wrought-iron flames, glowing from internal lamps, rose from that part of her as well. Her expression suggested that she didn’t realize that she was on fire, as she was too distracted with reaching her terrible itch. Her struggle with her robes was so intense that her crown sat crookedly on her head, sliding downward to her right side and revealing a host of loose, frizzy hairs made of what looked like iron pipes.
    It looked like she needed a very big comb.
    Fernie remembered learning in school that the real Statue of Liberty had been a gift from France to the United States. Even as she ran toward this never-imagined version, her life depending on whatever Gustav had in mind, part of her wondered just what America’s reaction would have been had France offered this one instead. And if it had been built? Generations of poor immigrants, huddled together on ships from Europe, might have taken one look at the giant figure in the harbor . . . and decided to go back.
    All of this went through Fernie’s mind in less than a second. But then an enraged roar, not far enough behind her, reminded her that she and Gustav had far more terrible things to worry about. “It’s coming!”
    â€œI know! Just run!”
    Expecting the terrible grasp of the Beast at any moment, Fernie pushed herself to run harder and concentrated on the feet of the silly Lady Liberty, which were right now the most important feet in the world.
    Just ahead of her, Gustav ran past the one sandaled foot that was flat on the ground, and veered behind it. Seeing what he was up to, but not knowing if she would get there in time, she risked one last look over her shoulder and saw the Beast, closer than she ever would have feared, looming like a patch of darkness between her and the rest of the world.
    Again it grabbed for her. Again she threw herself to the ground, and again she caught a glimpse of something dark and terrible, something that didn’t seem to have any particular shape, sailing past her, right over her head. She turned to follow its path and saw it hit the shadow Liberty at just the spot where the giant lady used the heel of one foot to scratch an itch on the other.
    There was a tremendous crash. She saw the Beast’s legs sticking out of a crater at the spot where the two giant legs crossed. She heard it bellow as it realized it was stuck and watched as it tore another huge gouge in the plate metal to free itself.
    Not far away, Gustav yelled, “Run!”
    Fernie got up and ran with what felt like the last of her strength, but only for a little bit, because the terrible creaking sound had already started and she wasn’t able to stop herself from turning around to see the collapse.
    The statue’s giant legs were no longer able to stay up after the damage the Beast had done to the crossed ankles. With a tremendous ripping and crashing and snapping of metal, it started to fall in on itself. The upper reaches of the statue fell and collapsed all the smaller ones. They sank as if a bottomless hole had opened up . . . except that there was no hole in the floor and the only thing the statue could fall into was itself.
    The last thing to hit was the awkward Liberty’s head, which retained its look of distracted concentration until it had nowhere else to fall. Then it fell apart, too, in a cloud of dust.
    It would have been breathtaking if Fernie had had any breath to take. As it was, she just felt her own knees buckle and sank to the ground.
    â€œWow,” she managed.
    Gustav waved at her as he came around the hill of twisted metal. His black suit was covered in dust, but otherwise he looked fine—like a boy who