PAUL STEWART is a highly regarded author of books for young readers
and is most notably co-creator of the bestselling Edge Chronicles
and the Far-Flung Adventures. He lives in Bristol, England.
About the Illustrator
CHRIS RIDDELL, co-creator of the Edge Chronicles and the Far-Flung
Adventures, is an award-winning illustrator and political
cartoonist. He lives with his family in Bristol, England.
"From the Trade Paperback edition."
Gr 5-8-"Cut out his beating heart-and give it to me" a voice commands Barnaby Grimes in the opening chapter of this roller-coaster ride of horror. The Grassington Hall School headmaster has asked Barnaby, a tick-tock lad who leaps across 19th-century English rooftops to make and pick up deliveries, to fetch an exotic stuffed bird that will arrive in a crate by boat. Shortly thereafter, he learns that the students at the school have become violent, bloodthirsty, and intent on sacrifice. He finds himself in the middle of the melee and is finally able to track the trouble back to the bird-the Catincatapetl-named after a Toltec demon god. In the end, he is able to restore order using special concentration powers that his friend Mei Ling has taught him. Foreshadowing livens up the pace for most of the story and will keep young readers guessing until the final twist. Riddell's line drawings are woven throughout, and the silhouettes at the end of each chapter spice up the text with occasional subtle humor and added layers of meaning -James K. Irwin, Sandy Library, UT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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