The Murderer's Ape

by Jakob Wegelius, Peter Graves (Translator), Jakob Wegelius (Illustrator)

Overview

A captivating mystery adventure story, with gorgeously detailed black-and-white illustrations throughout

‘I don't know when I last read a book with such pure and unalloyed pleasure. It's ingenious, it's moving, it's charming, it's beautiful, it's exciting, and most importantly the characters are people I feel I know like old friends. I thank Jakob Wegelius wholeheartedly for giving me several hours of joy." - Philip Pullman

Sally Jones is not only a loyal friend, she's an extraordinary individual. In overalls or in a maharaja's turban, this unique gorilla moves among humans without speaking but understanding everything. She and the Chief are devoted comrades who operate a cargo boat. A job they are offered pays big bucks, but the deal ends badly, and the Chief is falsely convicted of murder.

For Sally Jones this is the start of a harrowing quest for survival and to clear the Chief's name. Powerful forces are working against her, and they will do anything to protect their secrets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782691754
Publisher:	Steerforth Press
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Pages:	640
Sales rank:	792,386
Product dimensions:	5.09(w) x 7.78(h) x 1.54(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jakob Wegelius is a Swedish writer and illustrator who lives and works in the small village of Mörtfors. In Sweden, he was awarded the August Prize for Best Children's Book and the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize for The Murderer's Ape, which is also an International Youth Library White Raven selection.

Peter Graves is a translator from the Scandinavian languages, known in particular for his translations of novels by Selma Lagerlöf. He has been awarded the Swedish Academy’s Translation Prize for his work.

Editorial Reviews

This may be the most charming book I've read all year…Wegelius…peppers his work with delightful drawings, and though the book is lengthy, its heart and mystery keep you turning pages. It's a challenge to build a story around a protagonist who can't speak, and Wegelius does this skillfully, emphasizing qualities that make us human—though not everyone demonstrates them—and that are possessed by Sally Jones, "a very good and fine person," as the Chief aptly puts it.

The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll

★ 10/31/2016
Sally Jones is a top-notch engineer, excels at chess, and exceeds expectations at every turn—that she is a gorilla may be the least interesting thing about her. Working aboard a cargo ship, the Hudson Queen, with her dear friend Chief, Sally Jones is content and safe, but when a job goes awry, Chief lands in prison for murder and only Sally Jones knows he is innocent. Determined to clear his name, the indomitable gorilla forges unexpected friendships, travels countless miles, and barely survives death on numerous occasions. Meticulous black-and-white character illustrations introduce key players at the novel’s start, and spot illustrations adorn the heading of each chapter, offer tempting glimpses of what awaits. Originally published in Sweden and ostensibly typed out by the gorilla on a typewriter, Wegelius’s story is a thrilling adventure, but it’s Sally Jones’s devotion to her friends and poignant observations that set it apart (“Poor Chief,” she thinks after his arrest. “The accident wasn’t his fault, but he would never forgive himself, I knew that”). Prepare to meet the remarkable Sally Jones; you won’t soon forget her. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Slyly funny and poignant . . . a thrilling adventure."—Caldecott Medal winner Paul O. Zelinsky

"This may be the most charming book I've read all year. It's a challenge to build a story around a protagonist who can't speak, and Wegelius does this skillfully, emphasizing qualities that make us human." — The New York Times Book Review

"Features a complex mystery, an intricately constructed narrative, and deep characters. Committed, careful readers will be richly rewarded." — Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"A richly imagined and thoroughly unique adventure." — Booklist, Starred

"A thrilling adventure. Prepare to meet the remarkable Sally Jones; you won't soon forget her."—PW, Starred

"A new animal heroine has arrived on the scene. An unusual and oddly charming adventure."—SLJ

"Award-winning Swedish writer and illustrator Jakob Wegelius weaves together a head-spinning story of mystery, intrigue, love and adventure, beautifully translated by Peter Graves."—Shelf Awareness

" . . . gorgeous, clever, and memorable."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

11/01/2016
Gr 4–8—An engagingly accessible but quirky mystery featuring a gorilla named Sally Jones who not only narrates the story but can also read and write. She just doesn't talk. Sally Jones is an engineer working for Chief Koskela on his ship, the Hudson Queen, in this suspenseful and well-plotted adventure. In Lisbon, Portugal, while carrying what they think is a crate of tiles, Sally Jones and the Chief are attacked by robbers, and the ship is sunk. Things go from bad to worse when the Chief is shortly thereafter arrested for the murder of the man who hired them to transport the cargo. Sally Jones is on her own, decried by passersby as "the murderer's gorilla." Attracted to the music of a factory worker named Ana Molina, Sally Jones forges a new life but is determined to prove the Chief's innocence. It's her ability to work mechanical miracles—even with accordions—and her hard work ethic that help her find friends who support her on her quest for answers. A circuitous journey leads her to India and a completely fabulous maharaja. All events occur in the early part of the 20th century, when cars, planes, and typewriters were newfangled inventions. The book has been translated from Swedish and contains a series of portraits of the main cast of characters filling the opening pages, and there is surprisingly little to deter readers from immediately falling for Sally Jones and eagerly cheering her on. There are moments that are a little over-the-top or stereotypical, such as the abilities of the ape, the maharaja's wealth, and Ana's captivating voice. A new animal heroine has arrived on the scene, and while she may not rival Charlotte for her wisdom, her writing is just as engaging and her persistent loyalty equally admirable. VERDICT An unusual and oddly charming adventure. A solid purchase for medium to large middle grade collections.—Carol A. Edwards, formerly at Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

Kimberly Farr convincingly renders every accent and personality of the many diverse characters in this unusual novel. In 1904, Sally Jones, a gorilla who can read and write, is caged until compassionate sea captain Henry Koskela purchases her. Farr's Sally Jones is fully believable as she recounts her story on an Underwood typewriter. When Koskela is falsely imprisoned for murder in Lisbon, Sally Jones works to prove his innocence, with the help of kind friends. Especially noteworthy are Farr’s voice and accents for a factory worker who introduces Sally Jones to an Italian luthier. Listeners will be riveted as Sally Jones endures imprisonment and betrayal when she travels to India to find the real murderer. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2017 - AudioFile

Kimberly Farr convincingly renders every accent and personality of the many diverse characters in this unusual novel. In 1904, Sally Jones, a gorilla who can read and write, is caged until compassionate sea captain Henry Koskela purchases her. Farr's Sally Jones is fully believable as she recounts her story on an Underwood typewriter. When Koskela is falsely imprisoned for murder in Lisbon, Sally Jones works to prove his innocence, with the help of kind friends. Especially noteworthy are Farr’s voice and accents for a factory worker who introduces Sally Jones to an Italian luthier. Listeners will be riveted as Sally Jones endures imprisonment and betrayal when she travels to India to find the real murderer. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2017 - AudioFile

★ 2016-09-19
When her friend and partner, the sailor Henry Koskela, is wrongfully imprisoned for murder, Sally Jones works for years to free him. The ape Sally Jones, who can understand speech, respond with nods, write slowly, and play chess, tells her tale by typing on an old Underwood typewriter. Its the tale of the murder of Alphonse Morro, but its far from simple. When Koskela goes to prison for killing Morro (whose bodys not found) after Morro lied to Koskela about the cargo he and Sally Jones were to transport (gunsnot roofing tiles), Sally Jones eventually finds a safe place to stay with singer Ana Molina and her musical-instrumentrepairing landlord, Luigi Fidardo. Thus begins a continent-spanning quest filled with betrayal and intrigue and engineering and music. Set in the very early years of the 20th century, Wegelius award-winning novel won Swedens August Prize for best novel for youth, as did his first book about Sally Jones, not yet published in the United States, and features a complex mystery, an intricately constructed narrative, and deep characters. It has enough adventures for a trilogy at least, but the pacing is slower than modern American adventure novels. Sally Jones is a compelling narrator, and the detailed illustrations by the author add much (and depict a largely white human cast). Short attention spans need not apply, but committed, careful readers will be richly rewarded. (Mystery. 10 & up)

Kirkus Reviews