The Uncommoners #1: The Crooked Sixpence
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3.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Anyone with a Hogwarts-shaped hole in their lives can’t miss this fantasy series opener. Dive into a secret underground city below London where ordinary objects are capable of extraordinary magic!
"Part Tim Burton, part J.K. Rowling! A terrific debut." —Soman Chainani, New York Times Bestselling Author of the School for Good and Evil series
Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems…
When their grandmother Sylvie is rushed to the hospital, Ivy Sparrow and her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what adventure lies in store. Soon their house is ransacked by unknown intruders, and a very strange policeman turns up on the scene, determined to apprehend them . . . with a toilet brush.
Ivy and Seb make their escape only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world, a secret underground city called Lundinor where ordinary objects have amazing powers. There are belts that enable the wearer to fly, yo-yos that turn into weapons, buttons with healing properties, and other enchanted objects capable of very unusual feats.
But the forces of evil are closing in fast, and when Ivy and Seb learn that their family is connected to one of the greatest uncommon treasures of all time, they must race to unearth the treasure and get to the bottom of a family secret . . . before it’s too late.
Debut novelist Jennifer Bell delivers a world of wonder and whimsy in the start of a richly uncommon series.
"An auspicious trilogy opener." -Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this first book in the Uncommoners series, a portal inside a suitcase whisks Ivy Sparrow and her older brother, Seb, to the underground city of Ludinor. There, the siblings have two days to unravel their grandmother's secret past and find a powerful "uncommon" object to save their parents, who are being held hostage by the nefarious Dirge. Everyday household goods get a whimsical overhaul in this fantastical world beneath the streets of London colanders filter the air, paper clips serve as handcuffs, and a toilet brush is a formidable weapon but kindness, friendship and loyalty still reign supreme. Bell, a British bookseller making her children's book debut, has created a formidable, kindhearted, and keenly observant heroine in Ivy. After she saves a dented, "back-to-fronted"-talking bicycle bell named Scratch, it becomes an important ally, just one of many delightfully odd characters in a hodgepodge world that includes the walking dead, political intrigue, and grotesque physical punishment for misdeeds. Bell's multifaceted plot comes together cohesively, creating a solid base for her series. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12.
