Blog Tour: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand & Giveaway!

Claire Legrand

Books:

  • The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

At the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, you will definitely learn your lesson. A dark, timeless, and heartfelt novel for fans of Coraline and The Mysterious Benedict Society.Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t’ come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy.

Character Interview – Mrs. Cavendish and Mr. Alice
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls Blog Tour

Today I am super excited to share an interview with the villains of The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Mr. Alice, the Cavendish Home groundskeeper, and Mrs. Cavendish herself!

Mrs. Cavendish: “Villains” is such a strong word, Kristi. Are you quite sure you wish to start off the interview on such a note?

Kristi: Well . . . I . . . I mean . . .

Mr. Alice: I’m the gardener.

Mrs. Cavendish: Yes, darling, and such a good one, too.

K: Well, I apologize. I’ll try to stay away from the word “villains.” How about that?

Mrs. C: That’s much better. Your parents taught you well, it would seem.

Mr. A: Good little children obey their elders.

Mrs. C: Isn’t he a marvelous man?

K: He’s something, all right. So tell me, Mrs. Cavendish: What prompted you to open a children’s home? You must have such a big heart.

Mrs. C: Oh, I do, Kristi. I only want what’s best for the children of the world. For years, I wondered how I could most effectively find the children who needed me. When I decided to open orphanages, everything changed. It was the perfect fit for me. For us.

Mr. A: The perfect fit.

K: Um, Mr. Alice, you’ve got something dark hanging from between your lips.

Mrs. C: Tsk tsk, darling. Wipe your mouth. What have we discussed about manners?

Mr. A: Good little children mind their manners.

Mrs. C: Yes, and good little gardeners do too.

Mr. A: I’m an excellent gardener.

K: Just move on, Kristi. You didn’t see what you thought you saw.

Mrs. C: What was that, dear?

Kristi: Uh, nothing. So, you said orphanages. Have you opened other orphanages besides the Cavendish Home?

Mr. A: Oh yes. Many orphanages. Many children. Many gardens!

Mrs. C: Calm yourself, Mr. Alice. Kristi, yes, I have overseen the direction of many Homes over the years. I find the communities that can most benefit from my services, and once they hear what I have to offer, they welcome me with open arms.

K: What’s your vision for the children of the Cavendish Home? What do you hope they gain from their time with you?

Mrs. C: Oh. Oh, I have so many ambitions for all my children. I hope they gain a better understanding of how the world works, and what their place is in it. I hope they leave my Home that much more capable of integrating into the world . . .

K: Oh, how nice!

Mrs. C: . . . and I hope they learn how to keep their mouths shut. Don’t you agree that children these days are far too opinionated? Too rebellious? Too quick to disrespect their elders?

K: You’re smiling really big while you say that.

Mr. A: Mouths shut. Ha. Keep their mouths shut.

Mrs. C: I suppose you could say I’m rather old-fashioned, Kristi. Children should be seen and not heard. Sometimes, they shouldn’t even be seen at all.

K: What do you mean?

Mrs. C: I mean, the world could be a much lovelier place if we culled out all the nasty things. Don’t you think? The dirty things, the stupid and awkward and pimpled things? Mediocrity isn’t natural; it’s born out of laziness. Anyone can be beautiful, smart, and popular if they push themselves hard enough. It’s just that sometimes you have to push them because they won’t do it themselves.

K: . . . I think I’d like to move on to the next question.

Mrs. C: Have I made you uncomfortable, Kristi?

K: Not at all.

Mrs. C: You should come to the Home sometime, see my ideology in action for yourself. Wouldn’t you like to visit? Mr. Alice could give you a tour of the gardens.

Mr. A: The gardens are my favorite things. I take care of them.

K: That’s okay. I’m pretty busy running this blog and all.

Mrs. C: Ah. As you wish. But you’re always welcome. Any time, Kristi. Any time at all. The children love visitors.

K: Gee, thanks! Let me check my watch here . . . yep, only a few minutes left. (Thank goodness.)

Mrs. C: What was that?

K: Oh, nothing. So, Mr. Alice, you brought several photos of your gardens today, and they’re just lovely. Where do you get your inspiration?

Mr. A: Mrs. Cavendish.

K: Really? That’s it?

Mr. A: I owe Mrs. Cavendish everything. Mrs. Cavendish takes care of me.

Mrs. C: Yes, darling, and I always will.

K: Well . . . do you have any other hobbies besides gardening?

Mr. A: I like eating. We all eat together in the dining room, and I like that. Also, toys. I like making toys. I’m good at making toys.

Mrs. C: Kristi doesn’t want to hear about that, though.

K: Actually, I kind of—

Mrs. C: I’m afraid we’re running out of time, Kristi. We have so much to oversee, so many chores to do and classes to teach. Our children are waiting for us.

K: Of course. Just a couple more questions. What do you think about this recent string of disappearances lately? Several children in Belleville have been reported missing.

Mrs. C: Oh? Are you sure about that?

K: Totally. I have the police records and newspaper articles and everything right here. There was some kid named Donovan, and another one named Lawrence . . .

Mrs. C: Kristi, I’m sorry, but those papers you’re holding appear to be blank. Are you sure you weren’t imagining things?

K: What the . . . ? What happened?! There were totally words on these pages five minutes ago.

Mrs. C: I think Kristi needs some sleep, Mr. Alice. Don’t you?

Mr. A: We could tuck her in.

K: That’s definitely not necessary. Wow. I totally forgot what I was about to ask you.

Mr. A: Forgot. Forgot.

K: All these papers in my hands—where’d they come from? And they’re all blank? Weird. I’m sorry, I’m . . . I seem to be a little disoriented.

Mrs. C: Don’t worry, Kristi. This sort of thing happens.

K: Wow. Anyway, moving on to my next question: What’s all this about a girl named Victoria?

Mr. A: No. No, no, no. Mrs. Cavendish, I don’t like it.

Mrs. C: Don’t worry, darling. Kristi, we don’t know anyone named Victoria.

K: That’s not what I’ve heard.

Mrs. C: Oh? And what is it, exactly, that you’ve heard?

K: Rumor is, Victoria’s onto you. She thinks there’s something more going on at your Home than you’ll admit. That bad things happen there.

Mrs. C: Why, I’ve never heard anything more preposterous. At the Cavendish Home, we want only what’s best for our children, and all the children of Belleville.

Mr. A: Good children. Happy, good little children.

Mrs. C: That’s right, dear. Now, is there anything else?

K: No, I . . . I guess that’s it. I wish I knew what all these blank papers are here for, though. I just can’t remember, like it’s been sucked straight out of my head.

Mrs. C: How distinctly odd. Perhaps you’d better have a lie-down and rest after we leave.

K: Maybe you’re right.

Mr. A: You could nap a long time. Naps are dark. Naps are quiet.

K: That sounds really nice, actually. You guys can find your way out?

Mrs. C: Oh, we can find our way out of most anything. Not to worry.

K: All right, well, thanks for coming in for the interview, and—ahhhh!

Mr. A: Ahhhh!

Mrs. C: Stop screaming, you idiot. Kristi, what seems to be the problem?

K: Nothing, it’s fine. There was just a bug under my pillow but it ran away. A giant one, too, and it was making this awful clicking sound. But it’s gone now, I guess. Ugh. So gross.

Mrs. C: Oh, dear. I’d watch out for those bugs, Kristi. Some bugs can bite, you know.

Mr. A: CHOMP.

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Claire Legrand is a Texan living in New York City. She used to be a musician until she realized she couldn’t stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now a full-time writer, Claire can often be found typing with purpose on her keyboard or spontaneously embarking upon adventures to lands unknown. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is her first novel, due out August 28 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. Her second novel, The Year of Shadows, a ghost story for middle grade readers, comes out August 2013. Her third novel, Winterspell, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker, comes out Fall 2014.

Check out the rest of the CAVENDISH Blog Tour here!

To win a hardcover copy of The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, fill out the form below! Contest is U.S./Canada only. Ends September 12th.

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