From Powells.com
Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.
Staff Pick
Colin Meloy has a way with relatable child characters living remarkable lives. In The Whiz Mob, Meloy gives us Charlie, a pickpocket-in-training at the School of Seven Bells. Perfectly paired with illustrations by Carson Ellis, The Whiz Mob is a treat for all readers. Recommended By Lucinda G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From the creators of the New York Times bestselling Wildwood Chronicles comes an original, humorous, and fast-paced middle grade novel about a band of child pickpockets — imagine The Invention of Hugo Cabret meets Oliver Twist.
It is an ordinary Tuesday morning in April when bored, lonely Charlie Fisher witnesses something incredible. Right before his eyes, in a busy square in Marseille, a group of pickpockets pulls off an amazing robbery. As the young bandits appear to melt into the crowd, Charlie realizes with a start that he himself was one of their marks.
Yet Charlie is less alarmed than intrigued. This is the most thrilling thing that’s happened to him since he came to France with his father, an American diplomat. So instead of reporting the thieves, Charlie defends one of their cannons, Amir, to the police, under one condition: he teach Charlie the tricks of the trade.
What starts off as a lesson on pinches, kicks, and chumps soon turns into an invitation for Charlie to join the secret world of the whiz mob, an international band of child thieves who trained at the mysterious School of Seven Bells. The whiz mob are independent and incredibly skilled and make their own way in the world — they are everything Charlie yearns to be. But what at first seemed like a (relatively) harmless new pastime draws him into a dangerous adventure with global stakes greater than he could have ever imagined.
Review
"Ellis’ charming illustrations adeptly capture the playful tone and decidedly period setting. A gleefully metafictional caper and middle-grade picaresque bound to appeal to discerning young readers." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"There’s a lot to be said for a good, old-fashioned caper. Meloy accomplishes this rare feat with panache, turning out an infectious — and at times cinematic — adventure suffused with personal growth, secrecy, sleight of hand, and higher stakes than the story’s protagonist ever imagined." Booklist (starred review)
About the Author
Colin Meloy is the author of the New York Times bestselling Wildwood Chronicles and is the singer and songwriter for the band the Decemberists. Colin and illustrator Carson Ellis live just outside Portland, Oregon, with their family.
Carson Ellis is the illustrator of a number of books for children, including the Wildwood Chronicles, and is the author and illustrator of the picture books Du Iz Tak?, a Caldecott Honor winner, and Home. Carson lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her family.