Skullduggery [Hardcover]

Kathleen Karr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1900 | Grade Level: 3 and up

In 1839, twelve-year-old Matthew's job as assistant to the phrenologist Dr. Cornwall takes him up and down the Eastern Seaboard and to Europe, as they rob graves and try to find out who is following them and why.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Interested in medicine?
Dr. ABC seeks bright lad.
Training and board.
Apply number 113, Broadway."

Twelve-year-old Matthew Morrissey can't believe his luck when he spots this ad in the paper. He is interested in medicine--he wants to find a cure for the cholera that wiped out his whole family and left him orphaned. Alone on the streets of 1840s New York, Matthew leaps at the opportunity to help this Dr. ABC, whomever he is. As it turns out, he is the plump, puffy, rumpled Asa B. Cornwall, a kindly-if-obsessed phrenologist who hopes to someday perfect mankind through his study of the contours of human skulls, particularly those of flawed characters. "Give me a skull, and I can conjure up the very soul of a man!" he cries passionately. Matthew is eager to please this eccentric man, if only for a warm bed and all the oatmeal he can eat.

In time, however, his apprenticeship intensifies when he learns he must help his master rob graves for real specimens. And can the doctor really mean that he wants Voltaire's skull from Paris? Things heat up even more when they discover they have a mysterious enemy with a brow "broad and low," clearly the skull of a criminal. Kathleen Karr's delightful, well-crafted adventure is witty, suspenseful, and deliciously Dickensian; most of all, it has a great deal of heart. Watching the older man and his young charge plow forward through near misses and comedies of errors is pure fun. And we, like the dynamic duo, come to learn that their companionship is far more valuable than a chest of gold, an acre of skulls, or Dr. ABC's relentless pursuit of perfection. (Ages 10 to 14) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Karr's (The Great Turkey Walk; Man of the Family) comical, fast-paced novel reveals the seedy practices of 19th-century scientists. After his family falls victim to cholera, orphaned 12-year-old Matthew Morrissey survives on the streets of New York in 1839, until he reads about a position as assistant to Dr. ABC (Asa B. Cornwall). The shabby but flamboyant doctor is an expert in phrenology, "the scientific study of the mind through the surface of the skull." Matthew soon learns that his job entails not only impressing the wealthy clients who come in for character analyses but also robbing graves of famous heads. Matthew's literal hunger as well as his thirst for education outweighs his ethical reservations, and he quickly demonstrates his ingenuity in building and organizing the doctor's practice. The doctor's ambitious research and the duo's flight from a terrifying and mysterious body snatcher take them along the East Coast and across the Atlantic. Liberally packed with references to and witty details about important works, leaders (a final pursuit involves exhuming Napoleon's body from St. Helena for its transport back to Paris) and philosophies (e.g., Voltaire's famous "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"), Karr's latest is part history lesson and all entertainment. Ages 10-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786824395
• ISBN-13: 978-0786824397
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,923,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and unique!, September 25, 2000

By 

"mollycc" (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skullduggery (Hardcover)

This book has it all -- history, suspense, friendship, and dark humor. Kids will be intrigued to learn about the 19th century practice of phrenology -- analysing someone's character and personality by the bumps and shape of one's head. Although the history and grave robbing scenes are interesting, it is really the friendship between the doctor and the boy that makes this book great.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Start but Tepid Finish, July 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Skullduggery (Hardcover)

This book has a very creative premise, is well-written with interesting characters, and got off to fascinating start. Halfway through this book I would have rated it with 5 stars. However, I found the last third somewhat disappointing. After creating a mysterious and fascinating antagonist, the author seemed to run out of plot ideas in terms of how to satisfactorily resolve the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist and as a result the ending was very flat as the story seemed to run out of gas without any real or compelling resolution.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark trip back in time, April 25, 2000

By 

Casey Lytle (Centralia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skullduggery (Hardcover)

From the writing, to the story, to the very cover, this book is a trip back to the 19th Century. At least once you'll check out the copyright page to see if this is a reprint of an older book. The characters seem to leap from a Dickens novel. Hopefully this is just a sample of great things to come from this author and illustrator. A highly enjoyable read for parents as well as kids, although be cautious about reading it as a bedtime story to the younger kids. They may prefer it in the light of day.