Malformed Monster. . . or Misunderstood Man? All Paris taunts and torments Quasimodo, the hunchback who lives among the carved stone gargoyles of the great cathedral spires. Nobody thinks he has human feelings and emotions, but Quasimodo will show enormous love and loyalty as this dramatic and unusual story unfolds. In this vivid tapestry are woven the stories of beautiful Esmeralda and the men who love her, including the tragic Quasimodo, who risks everything, even his own life, for the young dancer. Danger, betrayal, and surprise touch every page of this incomparable world classic.

Books of the Great Illustrated Classics series introduce classic literature to children and adolescents in an accessible way. However, this version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is not an adaptation or abridgement of Victor Hugo's novel; rather it is a full-scale retelling of the story. Thus, we get (in about 120 pages of text and an equal number of illustrations) the entire tale: of Quasimodo (the deaf hunchback who works as a bell-ringer for the Notre Dame cathedral); Esmeralda (the beautiful gypsy girl whom he worships and whom he saves from execution); Captain Phoebus (whom she loves, but who only wants to satisfy his physical desires); Pierre Gringoire (who is forced to “marry” Esmeralda in a faux ceremony); and the cathedral’s Archdeacon Claude Frollo (who secretly desires Esmeralda and who ultimately betrays her to be hanged). Detailed pen and ink illustrations depict all the main characters and events; they are truly excellent in quality, and about 100 are included. Younger readers may well be led to sample Hugo’s classic masterpiece from this worthy retelling of the story. ( )

All Paris taunts and torments Quasimodo, the hunchback who lives among the carved sone gargoyles of the great cathedral spires. No one thinks he has human feelings and emotions, but Quasimodo will show enormous love and loyalty as this story unfolds.