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ALISTAIR GRIM'S ODDITORIUM

Gregory Funaro

Set in Victorian London and spun with eye-popping realism, this is the tale of a young chimney sweep on the lam named Grubb who stumbles upon a house of mechanical wonders that also can fly and the wildly eccentric inventor and master of the dark arts who takes him on as an apprentice. Together they go up against the indestructible forces of the arch evil necromancer Prince Nightshade in a David vs. Goliath battle for possession of the world’s ultimate magical power.
For twelve year-old Grubb, life as a chimney sweep in the English countryside has always been hard. Apprenticed to a brutal master sweep named Mr. Smears, Grubb wants nothing more than a life free from toil and abuse. After incurring the wrath of a local innkeeper, Grubb stows away in a trunk belonging to one of the guests. Soon, the boy finds himself at the Odditorium—a flying house of mechanical wonders filled with supernatural beings and powered by a mysterious blue energy called animus. The eccentric owner of the Odditorium, Alistair Grim, allows Grubb to stay on as help, but when Grubb accidentally allows some of the animus to escape, he attracts the attention of Prince Nightshade, an evil necromancer who wants the animus for himself. After an intense battle and narrow escape from London, Grubb and his friends set off in the Odditorium to defeat Prince Nightshade, during which time Grubb discovers the real purpose of Alistair Grim’s animus—a purpose as strange and nefarious as the evil necromancer who seeks to control it. To be followed by a sequel in Winter 2016. Gregory Funaro grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and wrote his first story, The Ghost in the Window, in the fourth grade. He considers this to be his finest work, but unfortunately it has been lost to time. Following high school Greg majored in theatre at the University of New Hampshire, and after various acting gigs, received his AM in Theatre Arts from Brown University and an MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. He currently lives with his family outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, and is busy working on the next book in the Odditorium series.
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Published 2015-01-01 by Disney-Hyperion

Comments

Funaro’s knack for memorable characters and scenarios shines in this frenetic, entertaining romp. Action and mayhem abound…Funaro brings it all together with clever worldbuilding. Read more...

Verne-ian fantasy and reversal of fortune à la Dickens will lure readers into this good-vs.-evil series debut.

Foreign rights in the two titles licensed to Alma Books (UK), Dogan Egmont (Turkey)

Named an Amazon Best Middle Grade Book of the Month, January 2015

[A] rollicking fantasy…Funaro's world building and characters are fascinating, and the fast pace and overstuffed plot—from war in the air to a daring escape from sea sirens—make for an exciting story. Funaro's first book for young readers has all the playfulness of classic adventures like THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH and the intrigue of newer steampunk novels, making it a clever mash-up of mystery and merriment, ideal for kids who loved PERCY JACKSON and HARRY POTTER. Read more...

This sharp, widely accessible novel tosses a bit of the supernatural, a hint of steam- punk, some Victorian-era references, and an instantly memorable protagonist, Grubb, into a pot and delivers a quirky, promising beginning to a new series.

ALISTAIR GRIM’S ODDITORIUM by Greg Funaro is back on the New York Times bestseller list for January 10th 2016-- #2 on the Middle Grade ebook list!

With a dash of Dickens and more than a bit of Rowling, this first book in a proposed series should have no trouble finding an audience.

Gregory Funaro's debut novel presents a winning magical adventure…in a world where the ‘odd was the ordinary.