This is a mesmerizing story of chance, friendship and courage of three children who have no connection with each other but are brought together as a consequence of a chance encounter on the street and a green violin. But soon they are swept away in an epic and utterly compelling adventure.
When Giuseppe finds a green violin washed up in New York docks, somehow he knows it will change his life. But how? The very same day, Hannah, a maid at a local hotel, gets a strange new mistress. Why are Madame X and her mysterious Russian minder living in a hotel? What are they hiding from? Across the square, Frederick, a clockmaker's apprentice, hides his dark terrors, and an amazing gift. There is nothing to link these three children, except the green violin and a chance encounter on the street. But soon they are swept away in an epic adventure. This is a mesmerizing story of chance, friendship, and courage.
Matthew J. Kirby has been making up stories since he was quite small. He was less small when he decided that he wanted to be a writer, and quite a bit larger when he finally become one. His father was a doctor in the Navy, so his family moved frequently. Matthew went to three different elementary schools and three different high schools, and he has lived in the American states of Utah, Rhode Island, Maryland, California, and Hawaii, which means that while growing up he met many people and had many wonderful experiences.
In college, Matthew studied history and psychology and he decided that he wanted to work with children and write stories for them, so he became a school psychologist, a job he truly enjoys. It was while working on his history degree that Matthew stumbled upon the story of a boy in the newspapers of 1873 called Joseph. Joseph had been taken from his home in Italy and brought to New York City as a slave to play music on the streets for money. One night, he escaped from his captor and fled to Central Park, where a kind old woman took care of him. Eventually, Joseph’s story became well-known, and he went to court to testify against his padrone, which led to changes in the law to protect other boys like him. Joseph’s bravery and strength are what inspired Matthew to write The Clockwork Three, his first novel.
Matthew currently lives in Utah with his wife, where he still works with children and continues to write stories for them. You can visit him at his website.
