Skullduggery

Skullduggery #1

by Kathleen Karr

In 1839, twelve-year-old Matthew's job as assistant to the phrenologist Dr. Cornwall takes him up and down the Eastern Seaboard and to Europe, as they rob graves and try to find out who is following them and why.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Adventure

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Kathleen Karr was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and grew up on a chicken farm in Dorothy, New Jersey. After escaping to college, she worked in the film industry, and also taught in high school and college. She seriously began writing fiction on a dare from her husband. After honing her skills in women’s fiction, her children asked her to write a book for them, (It Ain’t Always Easy, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1990), and she discovered she loved writing for young readers.

Reviews

[Gavin Bentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading Skullduggery by Kathleen Karr, so far it starts out with Matthew, a twelve year old boy whose family died of cholera and is now living on the streets alone. He goes to find shelter/a job and he ends up finding Dr. ABC, a phrenologist or someone who studies the mind. He ends up getting a job there as the apprentice and gets beefed up for some grave digging and stealing skulls. Dr. ABC has a somewhat of an obsession, and has Matthew go on tasks to steal important people’s skulls. A big plot twist is when this fairly large man with a huge scar and brow starts following them, eventually capturing Matthew for a slight moment of time before escaping. They end up going to France to try and escape but the man knew where they were going and they eventually went to the offensive and attacked him and he retaliated and the cops got him. They try to steal Voltaire’s skull only to find out it has been stolen by a group of people who refer to him as a devil. I would recommend this book because it is very interesting with some plot twists you wouldn’t be expecting, also the time period makes the book a lot more interesting, it’s in the early 1800s which is why they don’t get caught easily. Something I didn’t like was that some parts of the book weren’t very clear/hard to understand and it can be confusing. I would recommend this book to many creative minds and people who like to read many different genres like myself.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen Karr is an amazing author and this is one of her best! Part historical, part mystery, and plenty of adventure. The main character is an assistant to a phrenologist---the old practice of divining a person's character, intellect, etc. by examining the size, shape, and oddities of the skull.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is the first book in a duology. I actually ended up enjoying this book. I liked the historical setting, the characters, and enjoyed learning about phrenology. The writing style was engaging and easy to read.

I did have some issue with the fact that this book didn't really seem to have much of a plot or point. The two main characters basically journey from place to place collecting skulls to study. There is a little bit of a mystery here but it was very predictable.

Overall this was a decent story and well enough written but didn’t seem to have much of a point to it. I enjoyed the historical setting and learning about phrenology. I would recommend this to middle grade readers who enjoy learning about history. Adults might balk at the fact that the story just doesn’t have much of a plot to it.

[John Nondorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I'd go 3.5 stars if I could. Lots of information about phrenology which I find fascinating and tons of historical references that could lead young readers to explore further. My main problem with the book is the unresolved issue of the morality of grave robbing. Hoping this is addressed more directly in the next book in the series.

[Jose V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction book was a bit weird.Mattew is all alone in the strees of New York and gets a job helping Dr.ABC.I seen kid in the streets of Irving.I want to remember mattew eating alot.I recomend thi book to people who want to learn about the cholera problem.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the title you would take it to be a very shady book. At points it is, but I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I loved how Matthew changed through the course of the book.

[Anabelle Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting! Never heard of phrenology until I read this book. Anyways, it's funny and a very nice story.

[Matt R · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was slow and took a long time for amazing events i would not recommend this book.

[Squeaky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventure!