High adventure from a master storyteller about one boy's attempt to fend for himself among cruel orphan masters, corrupt magistrates, and conniving thieves. In the seaside town of Melcombe Regis, England, 1724, Oliver Cromwell Pitts wakes to find his father missing and his house flooded by a recent storm. He's alone in his ruined home with no money and no food. Oliver's father has left behind a barely legible waterlogged note: he's gone to London, where Oliver's sister, Charity, is in trouble. Exploring damage to the town in the storm's aftermath, Oliver discovers a shipwreck on the beach. Removing anything from a wrecked ship is a hanging offense, but Oliver finds money that could save him, and he can't resist the temptation to take it. When his crime is discovered, Oliver flees, following the trail of his father and sister. The journey is full of thieves, adventurers, and treachery--and London might be the most dangerous place of all. In the tradition of his Newbery Honor book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi mixes high adventure and short, page-turning chapters with a vivid historical setting featuring a cast of highwaymen, pickpockets, and villainous criminal masterminds.A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
High adventure from a master storyteller about one boy's attempt to fend for himself among cruel orphan masters, corrupt magistrates, and conniving thieves. In the seaside town of Melcombe Regis, England, 1724, Oliver Cromwell Pitts wakes to find his father missing and his house flooded by a recent storm. He's alone in his ruined home with no money and no food. Oliver's father has left behind a barely legible waterlogged note: he's gone to London, where Oliver's sister, Charity, is in trouble. Exploring damage to the town in the storm's aftermath, Oliver discovers a shipwreck on the beach. Removing anything from a wrecked ship is a hanging offense, but Oliver finds money that could save him, and he can't resist the temptation to take it. When his crime is discovered, Oliver flees, following the trail of his father and sister. The journey is full of thieves, adventurers, and treachery--and London might be the most dangerous place of all. In the tradition of his Newbery Honor book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi mixes high adventure and short, page-turning chapters with a vivid historical setting featuring a cast of highwaymen, pickpockets, and villainous criminal masterminds.A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
Avi is the author of the Newbery Medal novel Crispin: The Cross of Lead and the Newbery Honor books Nothing But the Truth and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, among many other books for young readers. He lives in Colorado with his wife, an inventor. You can visit him online at www.avi-writer.com.
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017 "An ingeniously plotted
Dickensian story filled with suspense, surprises, and ultimately
satisfaction. It reminds us, who may have forgotten, why reading is
such high entertainment and pleasure."
--Booklist, starred review "Riveting . . . This first in a new
series will capture the hearts and minds of readers and history
buffs alike . . . Avi's examination of the plight of the
desperately poor is worthy of Dickens. Impossible to put down."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Avi's ability to write compelling
historical fiction is evident here, and readers will want to stay
tuned for the next installment."
--School Library Journal "With dry wit and a strong Dickensian
flavor, this first installment in Avi's Oliver Cromwell Pitts saga
has an 18th-century British boy finding misfortune everywhere he
turns . . . Every cliffhanger-ending chapter will leave readers on
the edge of their seats, wondering how Oliver will manage to
survive his latest dilemma. Brimming with fast-paced action,
evocative settings, and villains, this book reveals yet another
side of Avi's talent."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "This action-packed Oliver
Twist-like tale is carefully orchestrated, with short chapters,
cliff hangers, lush descriptions, and historical details neatly
woven in throughout . . . An entertaining, old-fashioned,
page-turning adventure."
--The Horn Book "Colorful rogues, highwaymen and rotten magistrates
populate the Dickensian plot, punctuated with clever cliff-hangers,
endless close calls and bits of wisdom. Here a Newbery Medalist
again delivers a page-turner, steeped in provocative moral
questions."
--San Francisco Chronicle "There's danger at every turn and
cliffhangers galore in this un-put-downable Dickens story--a
marvelous read."
--San Antonio Express-News "Entertaining . . . Engaging."
--Buffalo News "Full of life and Dickensian details, this is
historical fiction at its most compelling."
--Providence Journal "Master-writer Avi has once again crafted a
seamless novel of intrigue, suspense, and adventure that will have
older kids ripping through ever page of this fast-paced,
outstanding novel."
--The Port Huron Times Herald "The titular 12-year-old narrator of
Newbury Medalist Avi's book The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell
Pitts may be small for his age (which lands him in trouble on more
than one occasion), but the plucky lad is no stranger to out-sized
exploits. The story, set in 1724 England, is a rip-roaring
adventure tale with thieves, kidnappings and some truly awful bad
guys -- and wonderful chapter titles like, "In Which I Introduce
Myself after Which I Immediately Plunge into a Desperate
Situation." Avi, one of the great writers for young people working
today, blends Pitts' fictional story with historical figures of the
age, throwing in plenty of juicy details about England's terrible
social history along the way. Young readers will be introduced to
injustices of the past while still moving quickly through the
pages, thanks, in part, to Avi's short, cliff-hanger chapters."
--The Daily American
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