The Boundless - Hardcover

Oppel, Kenneth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1443410268 ISBN 13: 9781443410267

Publisher: HarperTrophy, 2014

Synopsis

All aboard for a non-stop fantasy adventure on the Titanic of trains!

"Will stares up, too. The locomotive steams, her hot breath curling from the smokestacks atop the three-storey boiler. He can feel the tremor of her expectant power through the station platform, through the very air. Massive and black, she’s like something forged with lightning and thunder."

Will Everett wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but after his family’s fortunes change, he finds himself with a first-class ticket for The Boundless. The longest, most glamorous locomotive in the world, it stretches more than eleven kilometres long and pulls an astounding 987 cars: passenger cars, shooting galleries, gardens, an onboard swimming pool, cinema and much more. But its maiden voyage won’t be a smooth ride for Will. After witnessing a murder during a station stop, he barely makes it back onto the train (with a running leap!), then must work his way from the caboose forward to his father in first class—with the murderer and his cronies on his tail. Luckily, a clever and nimble friend is perfecting her act in The Boundless’s circus car, and there the real thrill ride begins. Sasquatches, bog-dwelling hags and illusions abound in this outsized middle-grade adventure.

About this title

Review:

An Amazon Best Children’s Book of the Month, April 2014: Mirroring a slice of actual railway history, the Boundless is a train of epic proportion, an eccentric visionary’s dream made real by the sweat and lives of many. The book's protagonist, Will Everett, is a young man who yearns for adventure, finding it first when he participates in securing the final spike of the Boundless’ tracks and years later on her inaugural voyage. By the time the train leaves the station, Will’s family has literally gone from rags to riches, and he finds himself responsible for keeping a special boxcar’s treasures safe from thieves who will stop at nothing—even murder. Along with his friend Maren, an escape artist with the traveling circus onboard, Will realizes untapped bravery, loyalty, and friendship that help him face a multitude of dangers. The Boundless successfully mixes history, folklore, and imagination into a sweeping adventure story that is a delight to read.---Seira Wilson

About the Author:

Kenneth Oppel is the author of Skybreaker and Airborn (winner of the Governor General’s Award), as well as the Silverwing Saga (Silverwing, Sunwing and Firewing), which has sold over one million copies worldwide and has won numerous prizes, including the Mr. Christie’s Book Award and the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award, as well as many children’s choice awards across the country. His other titles include Peg and the Whale, Dead Water Zone and The Live-Forever Machine. Voted children’s author of the year by Canadian booksellers in 2006, he lives in Toronto with his wife and three children. Visit his website at www.kennethoppel.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1443410268
• ISBN 13: 9781443410267
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336