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More copies of this ISBNThe Peculiarsby Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena's father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.
Review:"Though Lena Mattacascar is a decisive 18-year-old, her journey from middle-class respectability to adventuress has a youthful air of fantasy about it. She leaves the city, where she has grown up, by train to travel to Scree, an uncharted wilderness of 'indigenous folks' and deported convicts, with an earnest young librarian named Jimson Quiggley as her seatmate and the dour eye of marshal Thomas Saltre upon them. Lena cannot stop thinking about her mysterious father, who disappeared in a cloud of infamy when she was young, or about the possibility that there is a soulless 'Peculiar' in her family tree (Lena is highly self-conscious about her large, extra-jointed hands and feet). Scree is the place where Lena's questions might be answered, but arriving there just multiplies them. Readers graduating from the stories of C.S. Lewis and Edward Eager will be right at home — and cat lovers will adore Jimson's employer's pet, Mrs. Mumbles. McQuerry's extensive world-building leaves open the possibility of future installments, though the questions Lena is left with are the kind answered less by adventuring than by growing up. Ages 12 — up. Agent: Sandra Bishop, MacGregory Literary Agency." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review:"McQuerry offers a brooding northwest setting touched by steampunk elements to tell a story that is in equal parts inventive fantasy, light romance, and thrilling adventure. With a backdrop as strong as its heroine, this one is a page-turner."Booklist (Starred Review)
Review:"Readers graduating from the stories of C.S. Lewis and Edward Eager will be right at home — and cat lovers will adore Jimson's employer's pet, Mrs. Mumbles." Publishers Weekly
Review:"Richly atmospheric read." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis:This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance.
Synopsis:This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lenas father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.
Praise for The Peculiars STARRED REVIEW "McQuerry offers a brooding northwest setting touched by steampunk elements to tell a story that is in equal parts inventive fantasy, light romance, and thrilling adventure. With a backdrop as strong as its heroine, this one is a page-turner." --Booklist, starred review
“The Peculiars combines a teenage girls search for her identity with a setting that merges the genres of fantasy, gothic and steampunk. A light romance, a bit of adventure and the authors inclusion of historical notes complete this delightful offering.” --BookPage
"Readers graduating from the stories of C.S. Lewis and Edward Eager will be right at home—and cat lovers will adore Jimsons employers pet, Mrs. Mumbles." --Publishers Weekly
"A creative, entertaining, and wholly original fantasy." --The Horn Book
"Richly atmospheric read." --Kirkus Reviews
Award YALSA 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults
About the AuthorMaureen Doyle McQuerry is an award-winning poet and author and a teacher specializing in YA literature and writing. She was the 2000 McAuliffe Fellow for Washington state. Her poems regularly appear in the Southern Review, Atlanta Review, and others. She lives in Richland, Washington. Visit her online at www.maureenmcquerry.com.
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