Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head (Book One)

Description

The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. Philippa is a powerful mentalist, Sam is the world's strongest boy, and Thomas can squeeze himself into a space no bigger than a bread box. The children live happily with museum owner Mr. Dumfrey, alongside other misfits. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum's Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.

Lauren Oliver is the New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and Delirium. She lives and writes in Brooklyn, New York. Recluse H.C. Chester is the world's leading expert on an era that was full of long-vanished magic and wonder, and has yet to be reached either in person or by phone.

An absolute delight . . . The story is packed with mystery, murder, adventure, humour and magic, but above all it is a beautiful evocation of loss, tempered by the gradual blossoming of friendship, trust and hope. Although aimed at younger readers, the lightness of touch and the tenderness of the message could make grown men weep. - DAILY MAIL on LIESL & PO LIESL & PO by Lauren Oliver brings much-needed magic to an increasingly neglected age group . . . there are some exquisitely drawn characters . . . it's books like this, with its classic quest plot, intertwined with lyrical metaphysics, that can set a child up for life. - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH on LIESL & PO A gorgeous story -- timeless and magical. - Rebecca Stead, Newbery winner for 'When You Reach Me'