The Kidnap Plot (The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie Series #1)

by Dave Butler

Overview

The first installment in an action-adventure series about a boy on a rescue mission—part Pinocchio, part fantasy, and all fun!
 
Meet Charlie. He lives a quiet life with his protective father, an inventor and clockmaker.
 
When Charlie’s father is kidnapped by a shadowy group called the Anti-Human League, it’s up to Charlie to save him. But the league’s plan is much more sinister than Charlie could have imagined. And as he unravels their secrets, he also uncovers his father’s own secrets—about his family, the league, and even himself. . . .
 
Can Charlie and his gang—a terrifying but well-meaning troll and a pair of high-flying young aeronauts—rescue Charlie’s father from the dastardly villains who have kidnapped him? And will Charlie be able to come to terms with who he really is? The journey begins here!
 
“Reminiscent of both Pinocchio and The Great Mouse Detective, this novel is tailor-made for young readers who love adventure narratives and steampunk fiction.” —Kirkus
 
“A page-turning adventure.” —School Library Journal
 
“The fast-paced plot is action-packed. . . . [The Kidnap Plot] should satisfy fans of fantasy and adventure.” —Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553512984
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Series:	Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dave Butler lives in an old house and works in a study where one of the biggest bestsellers of the twentieth century was written. He has kept the room’s original shag carpet and wood-veneer walls. He likes games, guitars, languages, and, most of all, his family. Dave lives in Provo, Utah. You can find him on the Web at davidjohnbutler.com.

Read an Excerpt

 “Charlie Pondicherry ain’t got no mum!”
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Kidnap Plot (The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie)"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Dave Butler.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"Reminiscent of both Pinocchio and The Great Mouse Detective, this novel is tailor-made for young readers who love adventure narratives and steampunk fiction."—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A page-turning adventure for ambitious readers”—School Library Journal

“The fast-paced plot is action-packed but leaves room for Charlie’s coming-of-age journey… [The Kidnap Plot] should satisfy fans of fantasy and adventure.”—Publishers Weekly

“It’s a strong start to a new series—the characters are diverse, and Butler creates a smoky, grimy, harsh England that is almost a living character in itself. Readers will happily keep an eye out for the next volume.”—The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

05/23/2016
Charlie Pondicherry lives in his bap's (father's) clock shop in an alternate Victorian London shared by humans and fairy tale creatures (snippets from the Almanack of the Elder Folk and Arcana of Britain and North Ireland appear between chapters, describing these beings and their customs). Mr. Pondicherry forbids Charlie from leaving the alley where they live, but when his bap is kidnapped, Charlie vows to find him, aided by a ragtag group that includes a troll who practices law, a pixie on her tithe (akin to a walkabout), and two aeronauts who aren't what they seem. The characters' backstories are revealed as they try to track down the "Sinister Man" who took Bap as part of a larger conspiracy. The fast-paced plot is action-packed but leaves room for Charlie's coming-of-age journey as he discovers his own strengths and comes to terms with his true identity. Debut author Butler's meticulously crafted world springs to vivid life in this first book in the Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie trilogy, which should satisfy fans of fantasy and adventure. Ages 8–12. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

05/01/2016
Gr 4–7—Charlie Pondicherry, the son of an inventor, lives a cloistered life in a back alley of London until his father is kidnapped and he is thrown headfirst into a series of adventures as he tries to rescue him. As Charlie travels through London, he meets a colorful cast of characters and learns that he might not be quite the boy he thinks he is (hint: the spoiler is in the title). The story is action packed and throws readers right in, but the world-building can feel overly busy, particularly since this version of steampunk London is populated not just by humans but also pixies, trolls, hulders, kobolds, and more, each with their own particular habits, dialect, and political subplots. An open ending promises more to come. VERDICT A page-turning adventure for ambitious readers who don't mind a bit of a learning curve.—Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
Charlie Pondicherry, a Punjabi-English boy whose life revolves around his father's clock shop, experiences the world entirely through books and stories…but that is about to change.When his brilliant inventor father is kidnapped by a group of sinister men, all they leave behind is a mysterious note signed by the Anti-Human League. Aided by a motley crew of helpmates that includes a troll, an aristocratic pixie, and two chimney sweeps, Charlie races to save his father and foil a plot against Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee. Along the way, Charlie learns that life is far more complicated than the fairy tales he read could have prepared him for. In this first novel of a projected series for children, Butler crafts a multilayered network of societies within and beneath London and a racially diverse cast of characters, none of whom are entirely what they seem. Through the group's exploits in the city, the author makes astute social commentary about the xenophobic attitudes of both 19th-century English society and, by extension, our own. Though the fast-paced action is dizzying at times, the novel's central lesson that kindness is integral to the definition of humanity is solid.Reminiscent of both Pinocchio and The Great Mouse Detective, this novel is tailor-made for young readers who love adventure narratives and steampunk fiction. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews