Gabriel Avery and his grandmother are just getting by. His grandmother works as a housekeeper for a wealthy family but the pay is so low that often they only eat one meal a day. Gabriel, however, has a talent for picking pockets. His grand mother does not ask any questions but Gabriel is able to 'obtain' enough money each day so that they don't starve.
In his pocket Gabriel carries a lucky coin but one day, after picking a pocket at the railway station, his coin is stolen. In its place he finds a card inviting him to a town called Moorheart. In this remote and deserted place he discovers a school for crooks. He discovers students with other amazing talents. He discovers why the Headmaster of the school, the aptly named Caspian Crook, stole his coin. And later he discovers just why he was selected to attend this school.
When books proclaim - "Perfect for fans of Harry Potter" - I usually cringe but I found myself saying exactly that as I read this debut novel, the first in a planned series. Actually this book does not use the Harry Potter marketing strategy but it could!
There are heaps of Harry Potter tropes in this book but they do not feel worn out. JJ Arcanjo adds such a layer of intelligence to this story of a school for criminals albeit criminals who will do good deeds.
"The word crook is misunderstood, I think. You steal for the same reason we at Crookhaven steal - to put the world back into balance."
Things about the school:
- Sorting into classes is done by pebbles which leave a colour on your hands - 1A (blue), 1B (red), 1C (green) and 1D (Yelloe).
- Students can win and loose points. The goal is to win the Crooked Cup.
- There are two types of students - Merits (like Gabriel) and Legacies (offspring of crooks)
- The youngest/newest students are called Crooklings and this year there are 48
- Other years are called Miscreants, Lower Delinquents and the final year students are Robin Hoods.
- The guards around the school are called Gardeners but they are really skilled crooks and the grounds have very sophisticated sensors and cameras.
- Classes - Forgery; Deception; History of Crookery; Tricks of the Trade; Cultivating a Crook; Crimtastics and Tech-nique.
- The challenge - to break into the Headmaster's office and steal something without him knowing that something is missing.
- Friends: Penelope Crook; twins Ade and Ede; and Amira.
- Characters you will want to meet again in book 2 - Leon Marquez (Robin Hood) and Villette (is she really a villain?).
One final thing - here is a description of the librarian:
"A slender, red-haired librarian strode past, her burnt-caramel eyes sweeping over the two of them ... she wore black jeans, a thick maroon fleece and thin black gloves, likely to protect the more precious books from fingerprints."
The technology in this book reminded me of the Artemis Fowl series. If you want to read another book with Harry Potter overtones try to find this one (sadly it is long out of print)
Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy of Crookhaven: The School for Thieves (Hodder/Hachette) which will be released in March 2023.
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