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Suitable for: Age 9+ boys and girls who like titles by writers such as Eva Ibbotson and Georgia Byng, Cornelia Funke and Zizou Corder.
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Humour, adventure, eccentricity and betrayal in Journey to the River Sea meets The Go-Between - with a Russian setting Yanis has spent his life so far scrubbing socks in an orphanage. But that changes when Dr Gomarus knocks on the door, seeking an apprentice. The strange doctor is travelling to far-flung Osva to study the craniums of criminals. He needs a helper, and Yanis fits the bill.
Awaiting execution in Osva jail is Nikolai Kolchak, the notorious leader of the revolutionaries who are holding the country in the grip of civil war. The chance to study the skull of Kolchak is a prize worth any danger.
On the perilous journey to Osva, Yanis encounters
a kind and beautiful countess and her pistol-packing 'minder', Miss Minsky. They too are travelling to the town, but why?
And how can it be that when Yanis finally accompanies Dr Gomarus to Kolchak's cell, he finds there a charming, friendly man, and not the devil described and feared throughout the country?
Soon Yanis finds himself running errands for the rebel leader, and for the Countess. And, as he does, he begins to realise that people are not always what they seem . . .Features- An original, gripping and eccentric story with enormous boy and girl appeal.
- Impeccable, vivid and fun characterisation.
- Has the same sort of
pull as best-selling, prize-winning titles such as Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson.
- A completely different novel from an author with a huge fan base. The Prisoner's Apprenctice takes Stephen Elboz to a new level.
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"[Of the backlist titles]:
Nobody does it better than Elboz - and that includes JK Rowling herself" - Guardian
"Elboz's imagination runs naturally to the baroque; it will be fascinating to see where it takes him next." - Daily Telegraph
"Elboz is one of the best writers around at the moment, crafting his stories with amazing depth and using words with wit and brilliance." - Guardian Website
"[Of The Prisoner's Apprentice]:
'What a gem of a book. Why Stephen Elboz isn't already a household name escapes me. Let's hope this book finally rights that wrong. The Prisoner's Apprentice has the flavour of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series, but with Elboz's own inimitable flair. Stephen has created yet another of his wholly convincing settings, his casual use of remarkable detail bringing every scene and every character to life. It's an amusing and exciting page-turner which manages to be thought-provoking as well as extremely entertaining. What a great read." - Philip Ardagh
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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