Two Crafty Criminals!
and how they were Captured by the Daring Detectives of the New Cut Gang
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Benny Kaminsky and Thunderbolt Dobney lead a rag-tag gang of neighborhood rowdies. Their territory is the New Cut on London's South Bank—a place bristling with swindlers, bookies, pickpockets, and the occasional policeman. And their aim is to solve crimes.
When counterfeit coins start showing up in their neighborhood, Thunderbolt fears his own father may be behind the crime. But his friends devise a way to trap the real culprit. Then the gang takes on the case of some stolen silver. They have just two clues—a blob of wax, and an unusually long match. But even this slippery thief is unmasked by the determined kids of the New Cut.
Filled with silly sleuthing, improbable disguises, crazy ruses, and merry mayhem, these stories are action-packed romps from one of the best storytellers ever—Philip Pullman.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First published (separately) in England in the 1990s, these two novellas showcase Pullman's (The Golden Compass) gift for slapstick. Set in London in 1894, both stories feature a likeable gang of would-be detectives led by preteens Sam, nicknamed Thunderbolt for the "colossal blow" with which he knocked out a ruffian who made a nasty remark about his late mother, and Benny, who fancies himself the brains of the operation. In "Thunderbolt's Waxwork," the gang must clear Sam's father from suspicions that he's been manufacturing (and circulating) counterfeit coins. In "The Gas-Fitters' Ball," the gang's investigation of a theft becomes entangled with their mission to get a shy (adult) friend to propose to his longtime paramour. The comedy is broad, with a distinct British accent, but readers will find affinity with the gang's aim to lead more exciting lives, especially when that requires skipping school to solve a crime ("ost of them regarded the School Board as the slow-witted opponent in a delightful game, and played hookey at the slightest opportunity"). The trim length and ample hijinks make either story a good choice for classroom reading. Ages 8 12.
