Barnaby Grimes: Phantom of Blood Alley - Softcover

Chris Riddell (Author) Chris Riddell is an acclaimed artist of children's books and a political cartoonist for the Observer. Amongst other titles, Chris illustrates the Ottoline young fiction series and the Goth Girl series, as well as working closely with Paul Stewart on the Edge Chronicles and Wyrmeweald. Children's Laureate from 2015-2017, he has won many awards for his work, including the Nestle Gold Award, the UNESCO Award for Something Else and the rare honour of three Kate Greenaway Medals.Paul Stewart (Author) Paul Stewart is a highly regarded author of books for young readers - everything from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. Together with Chris Riddell, he is co-creator of the bestselling Edge Chronicles series, which has sold over three million books and is now available in over thirty languages. They are also co-creators of the Far-Flung Adventure series, which includes Fergus Crane, Gold Smarties Prize Winner, Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, Silver Nestle Prize Winners, and the Barnaby Grimes Series.

In this fourth Barnaby Grimes book, the starring character is a “tick-tock lad” who delivers messages illegally through rooftop runs that give him a unique perspective on a fantastical version of Victorian London. Barnaby is also something of a sleuth, and to absolve a client of her brother’s mysterious murder, he must navigate a motley milieu of aristocrats, servants, police, scholars, and artists. The case ultimately hinges on a chemical mixture for developing photographs; the brew’s side effects include both invisibility and psychological transformations reminiscent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stewart and Riddell’s play on the predictable conventions of gothic melodrama will probably go over the heads of young readers, but that will not diminish their enjoyment of the story. Whimsical touches such as the introduction of a protoskateboard by Barnaby’s friend Will Farmer will add to the appeal. Barnaby Grimes fans will enjoy this latest adventure in the series. Grades 4-6. --Miriam Aronin