Twelve-year-old Victor and his fellow beggars may be worth more dead than alive. It is 1830s London, and a booming underground trade has emerged-in bodies. "Resurrection men" rob graves and supply doctors with fresh corpses for medical research, no questions asked. Lately, however, Victor's friends- still very much alive-have been disappearing from the streets. Victor must find out what's going on before it's too late.
Summary While operating on a crushed boy, Dr. Lambro tells the story of Victor, a similar boy he had once known. Sold into service as a cabin boy on a merchant ship working Europe’s Atlantic coast by the soldiers who killed his parents, Victor shatters his leg in a fall from the rigging, is callously cast overboard, and finally washes ashore in England. There he is nursed back to life by a sea comber and once again sold, this time to the leader of a beggars’ ring. There Victor is introduced to a circle of grave robbers and notices children disappearing. It is also there that he meets and falls in love with Rebecca, a blind beggar girl who is sometimes rented to gentlemen by the master. Dr. Quigley sees Victor begging and takes him in, at first intrigued by the medical challenge of fixing the crippled leg, and then becoming more like a father to him. When Dr. Quigley takes Victor, now his apprentice, to observe a dissection, Victor realizes that the missing children are being stolen and used for medical experiments. If Victor does not put a stop to it, the next victim could be Rebecca.
Filled with stimulating nonfiction and can't-put-it-down fiction, this category is perfect for bridging the gap between young adult and adult reading. Take note: these 14 selections often contain mature situations and language that could be considered controversial.