The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

Slade, A.G. (2009). The Hunchback Assignments. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Summary
The story begins with a man named Mr. Socrates adopting a child named Modo from the back of a freak show caravan. Modo is an interesting child who has the ability to change his facial features. Raised to be a spy, Modo begins his first mission for Mr. Socrates when his 14. Modo is stranded in London and left to survive on his own. Can Modo survive the streets of London while there is a murderer in his midst?

Advisory Information:

Themes:

a. Coming of Age: This book chronicles Modo’s journey from a person who blindly follows Mr. Socrates’ orders, to questioning them and using his own ingenuity to make his decisions.

b. Above the law: Renegade organizations acting upon their own means and with little to no regulatory watch-dog agencies. Modo and the Association must rely on their own moral compass to determine actions.

c. Identity Crisis: The fact that Modo is able to change his appearance at will suggests that his physical identity is nonexistent.

d. Kids are Smarter than Adults: This idea stems from the fact that Modo and Octavia’s judgment is often morally truer than that of other adults. This includes Mr. Socrates who seems to be a cynic and oftentimes will sacrifice one for the sake of all.

Age Recommendation:

I think that this story could have widespread appeal; therefore I would encourage readers from 6th grade through 9th to read this novel.

Other Information:

The author is writing a sequel that is supposedly going to be released September 14, 2010.

Reaction:

I thought that this book had an interesting plot, almost like a Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery with young children solving the mystery. I thought it was interesting the way the author was able to incorporate ideas with such fluidity. The use of steam technology coupled with a Victorian-era time period worked well. Furthermore, he took characteristics of classic novels and incorporated them into his work (Modo in name and true appearance resembles Quasimodo from Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the use of the name Mr. Hyde which could reference Stephenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc.).

The Hunchback Assignments Book Trailer

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