The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books is a genre-bending, heart-pounding middle-grade romp into a potential future.
Ten-year old Oliver Nelson loves books so much, he has often wished he could live inside of some of his favorites. One of his best-loved books is an extremely rare copy of The Timekeeper's Children. Unfortunately, when he returns it to the library, it gets thrown out with the garbage. Ardent book collector Mr. Pribble loved The Timekeeper's Children as a child and is determined to add it to his collection. When Pribble learns the last remaining copy of the book has gone missing from the library--and Oliver was the last to check it out--he and his wife devise a scheme to get the book back. They decide to use Alternate Reality Goggles to transport themselves and Oliver into the boy's imagination--now the only place where the book still exists--and take it for themselves.
Adam Perry (The Magicians of Elephant County) turns children's literature inside out--almost literally--in The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books. Blending fantasy, sci-fi, classic adventure and a touch of metafiction, Perry's inspired work manages to meet and simultaneously subvert reader expectations. The villainous Pribbles are delightfully reminiscent of Roald Dahl antagonists, while Oliver's real world--a high-tech future where kids spend more time in alternate reality goggles than in books--has entertaining notes of the Alex Award winner Ready Player One. Additionally, the narration is full of hints, nudges and fourth wall-breaking, reminiscent of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Perry's layered approach makes for a masterpiece that feels both familiar yet wholly new. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer