This is a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller that we’ve been raving about since it went stratospheric across the water earlier this year. Here you will meet four very unusual children each with three things in common – all orphans, all incredibly talented and all utterly and completely honest. Akin to Lemony Snicket but in our view loads better, readers are plunged headfirst into a world of puzzles and logic, testing their ingenuity and cunning as well as that of the four children. It’s fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and the characters are incredibly endearing in their individual ways. Don’t let any 9+ year old miss this one. It’s an absolute gem.
'Are You a Gifted Child Looking For Special Opportunities?' Dozens of children respond to this peculiar advert in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests. Only four children - Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance - succeed. Their mission is a secret. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden labyrinth of the school's underground tunnels is more than your average school supplies.
Trenton Lee Stewart is a first-time children’s novelist who teaches
creative writing. He graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The
idea for this novel came from his belief that children are often seen,
rarely heard, and always underestimated! He lives with his wife in
Little Rock, Arkansas, where he is inspired by his two sons!
