Synopses & Reviews
Cadel Piggott has a genius IQ and a fascination with systems of all kinds. At seven, he was illegally hacking into computers. Now heand#8217;s fourteen and studying for his World Domination degree, taking classes like embezzlement, forgery, and infiltration at the institute founded by criminal mastermind Dr. Phineas Darkkon. Although Cadel may be advanced beyond his years, at heart heand#8217;s a lonely kid. When he falls for the mysterious and brilliant Kay-Lee, he begins to question the moral implications of his studies. But is it too late to stop Dr. Darkkon from carrying out his evil plot?
An engrossing thriller with darkness and humor, freaks and geeks, Evil Genius explores the fine line between good and evil in a strange world of manipulations and subterfuge where nothing is as it seems.
Review
"Jinks opens her projected trilogy in high style, offering a period melodrama replete with colorful characters, narrow squeaks and explosions of ectoplasmic goo."
and#8212;Kirkus,and#160;starred review
"This is top-notch storytelling from Jinks, full of wit, a colorful cast of rogues, and delectable slang."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[A] pitch-perfect narrative. . . This intense historical thriller is rewarding on its own, but A Plague of Bogles is scheduled to arrive next fall."
and#8212;Booklist, starred review "The book, which is part Great Expectations, part Ghostbusters and a little bit Vindication of the Rights of Woman, mixes monster murder with work ethics and the importance of a girl being able to make a living for herself . . . For all its grime, Jinksand#8217;s world is rich."
and#8212;The New York Times "The first in a projected trilogy, this book treats readers to a lively, engaging story with an endearing protagonist at its center."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"This quasi-Victorian, somewhat gothic fantasy is a satisfying confection."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
"The first entry in a planned trilogy, this title introduces a cast of secondary characters robust enough to expand the adventures in any direction Jinks chooses to wander."
and#8212;Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"Jinks opens her projected trilogy in high style, offering a period melodrama replete with colorful characters, narrow squeaks and explosions of ectoplasmic goo."
and#8212;Kirkus,and#160;starred review
"This is top-notch storytelling from Jinks, full of wit, a colorful cast of rogues, and delectable slang."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The first in a projected trilogy, this book treats readers to a lively, engaging story with an endearing protagonist at its center."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"This quasi-Victorian, somewhat gothic fantasy is a satisfying confection."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
Review
Praise for The Forbidden Library: "Working in the grand tradition of children's fantasy, Wexler's off to a promising start."--Kirkus
"A charming, adventuresome fantasy from a promising new author."--Booklist
"Reminiscent of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003) and Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002)."--SLJ
Review
* and#8220;As an alternative thriller that shows the good side of evil, Jinks sets up a compelling world of lies, deceit, and betrayal that will have lovers of mystery or computer-based investigation on the edge as they devour this page-turner.and#8221;--School Library Journal 7/1/07 (starred)
Review
* "Carried along by much peeling back of layers of deception and repeated thickenings of plot, this hefty but engrossingly complex tale features a young super-brain being groomed for world domination...Jinks fills out the cast with brilliantly conceived friends and adversaries.andnbsp; His emotional maturity realistically lagging behind his intellectual development Cadel ides right up there with Artemis Fowl as a sympathetic anti-villain."andnbsp;--Kirkus Reviews (April 1, 2007 - starred review)
Review
andnbsp;* "Jinks has created an intricate, well-constructed and layered reality in this hefty novel, and as the complex deceptions that have shaped Cadel's life come to light, his emotional unraveling and awakening will likely engross readers." --Publishers Weekly (April 2, 2007 - starred review)
Review
"Jinksand#8217;s signature facility with plot and character development is intact as she turns to the topic of vampires . . . Throwing in delicious details and aperand#231;us, the author works her way from the murder of one of the vampires to suspense and adventure of the sinister yet daffy variety beloved by readers of Evil Genius. The plot twists, more ornate than in previous works, ramp up the giddinessand#8212;and, perhaps, camouflage the corpses, blood and other byproducts of the genre."and#160; and#8212;
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Support Group is truly like no other vampire story. It is witty, cunning, and humorous, with numerous plot twists and turns. Jinks has conjured up an eccentric but believable cast of characters in a story full of action and adventure."and#160; and#8212;School Library Journal
"Jinks offers some wry vampire-centric twists on mystery conventions . . . laugh-out-loud funny."
and#160; and#8212;Booklist
"Jinks's quirky sense of humor will appeal to fans of her Evil Genius series. Those tired of torrid bloodsucker stories or looking for a comic riff on the trend will feel refreshed by the vomitous, guinea-pig-drinking accidental heroics of Nina and her pals."and#160; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
"Jinks draws her characters and their unique challenges in great detail . . . thereand#8217;s plenty of blood and guts (both types) to go around. One part problem novel, one part comedy, and one part murder-mystery, this alternative vampire story is for outsiders of all kinds, underground or otherwise." and#8212;Horn Book
and#8220;Jinks takes readers on a wild ride, poking wicked fun at vampire enthusiasts of all stripes with her wryly clinical take . . . a first-rate comedy with equal appeal for avid vampire fans and those who wouldnand#8217;t be caught dead with a copy of Twilight.and#8221;and#160; and#8212;The Bulletin
"With this budding heroine in her own right at the forefront, this ensemble of eccentric characters gives a wry spin to the ever-popular vampire tales."and#160;and#160;and#8212;BookPage
Praise for Evil Genius:
"Jinks fills out the cast with brilliantly conceived friends and adversaries."and#160; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Genius Squad:
"Gripping, devilish and wonderfully dark"and#160; and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[Jinks's] ability to craft vivid characters and engrossing action scenes continues unabated."and#160; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"Cyber-espionage takes both front seats in this conclusion to the outstanding Genius series....the climax is taut, absorbing and tantalizingly ambiguous."and#160; and#8212;
Kirkus, starred review
"Full-throttled plot....will command the attention of even non-techie readers until Jinks's final plot twists wind to a close." and#8212;Horn Book
Review
"Wexler is an able builder of magical worlds and creatures, with labyrinths, an enchanted library, and a feisty, swashbuckling heroine at the center. A story rich in action and allegory--fantasy fans will want to hang on for what comes next."
Review
Praise for The Mad Apprentice:
"Wexler is an able builder of magical worlds and creatures, with labyrinths, an enchanted library, and a feisty, swashbuckling heroine at the center. A story rich in action and allegory—fantasy fans will want to hang on for what comes next."—Kirkus
Praise for The Forbidden Library:
"Working in the grand tradition of children's fantasy, Wexler's off to a promising start."—Kirkus
"A charming, adventuresome fantasy from a promising new author."—Booklist
"Reminiscent of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003) and Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002)."—SLJ
Synopsis
Are bogles eating the missing children of Old London? Ghostbusters meets Dickens in this charming-yet-creepy middle-grade adventure, first in a trilogy.
Synopsis
If ever a chill entered her soul, or the hope suddenly drained from her heart, she knew a bogle was to blame. Birdie McAdam, a ten-year-old orphan,and#160;is tougher than she looks. She's proud of her job as apprentice to Alfred the Bogler, a man who catches monsters for a living. Birdie lures the bogles out of their lairs with her sweet songs, and Alfred kills them before they kill her. On the mean streets of Victorian England, hunting bogles is actually less dangerous work than mudlarking for scraps along the vile river Thames. (See glossary!) Or so it seemsand#8212;until the orphans of London start to disappear . . .
Synopsis
Are bogles eating the missing children of Old London? Birdie McAdams aims to find out.
Synopsis
The dark and thrilling sequel to the book Kirkus called, "Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and Inkheart all rolled into one"
When Alice's mysterious Uncle Geryon sends her to help capture a rogue apprentice--a boy who has the same ability Alice has to Read himself into stories--she knows to expect a wild and unpredictable trip. But even though Alice has visited the magical realms inside libraries before, this adventure is far more dangerous. Because Torment, the magic creature holding this library together, has gone mad.
But he might also have information about Alice's missing father.
Synopsis
An entertaining romp through sinister evil.
Synopsis
Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.
and#160;and#160;and#160;The perfect anecdote to slick vampire novels, this murder-mystery comedy of errors will thrill fans of Evil Genius.
Synopsis
The third installment in Catherine Jinks' hugely popular GENIUS series
Synopsis
Boy-genius Cadel Piggot has a new name (Cadel Greenaius), a new family, andand#160;a new life. No more illegal hacking, no more false identities, and most of all,and#160;no more Prosper English. But when his best friend Sonja is attacked, it's up to him to figure out who was behind it. Before he knows it, Cadel is crossing oceans and continents, barrelling back into the depths of the criminal activity he thought he'dand#160;left behind, and coming face to face with Prosper English once again. Can Cadel track down Prosper before it's too late? And what rules will he have to break in the process?
About the Author
Catherine Jinks, author ofand#160;more than thirty books for children and adults,and#160;is aand#160;three-time winner of the Childrenand#8217;s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award. Sheand#160;has received many American accolades such as Publishers' Weekly Best Book of the Year andand#160;School Library Journaland#160;Best Book of the Yearand#160;for Evil Genius, which was also aand#160;Book Sense Children's Pick and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian childrenand#8217;s literature. Catherine lives in Leura, Australia.and#160; www.catherinejinks.com