Rooftoppers can only be described as a beautiful story, and it is obvious why it has won so many awards. The story is simple mainly, not trying to go into over exaggerated detail or include morals or messages like so many books these days. The only message to come from it is also simple: to always follow your dreams.

Sophie was recovered from a shipwreck as a baby, floating in a cello case. Her mother was always believed to have drowned on the shipwreck, and Sophie is taken in by the man who finds her floating, Charles. Charles is a wonderful character, the kind of man who anyone would love as a father. He is content to let Sophie do as she wishes for the most part. He lets her eat her dinner from books when she accidentally smashes one too many plates, and lets her write on the walls.

As she grows older, Sophie begins to question whether her mother is alive, and if not, why she hasn't come to find her. Charles always says: "Never ignore a possible," and it is with these words that Sophie persuades him to take her to Paris in search of her mother. Sophie and Charles are also on the run from the authorities, after Charles is declared an unfit guardian for a "young lady". When in Paris, Sophie meets Matteo, a strange and lonely boy who lives on the rooftops to avoid the orphanages. At night, Sophie climbs from her hotel room and joins him to roam the rooftops of Paris on a hunt for her mother.

I would rate Rooftoppers 9/10, and would definitely re-read it again and again. I would recommend it to anyone aged 8 and up, though it would easily be understood and enjoyed by all ages.

This book is a masterpiece, to say it simply. Music is a big feature in the book, as Sophie's only memory of her mother is that she played the cello. The story flows like music, the words singing softly in your head. It seemed to take no effort to read, and instead of feeling like reading a book, I always felt as if somebody was telling me a story, a beautiful story that was close to their heart. It made me want to go to Paris, to hear the music as it is described in the book and to run across the rooftops under the stars.

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