Horrendo's Curse - Softcover

Fienberg, Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1550377728 ISBN 13: 9781550377729

Publisher: Annick Press, 2002

Synopsis

From the author of The Witch in the Lake comes a rollicking and irrepressible adventure set on the high seas, bursting with pernicious pirates, fierce fights, and indescribably bad behavior.

Once there was a boy called Horrendo who was cursed at birth with a spell that left him able to say only kind words. Everyone else in his village has a sharp face and a tongue like a whip. They spew insults at one another and never bother to say "thank you" or "please."

Each autumn, pirates come to the village and steal all the twelve-year-old boys to be their slaves. Despite all their lessons in Herculean Headlocks, Deadly Insults, and Oar Throwing, Horrendo and the other boys succumb to the might of the hated pirates. Aboard ship, the merciless captain and his crew of pirates work the boys to the bone.

A cunning escape plan is hatched that involves a hazardous journey. Not all goes exactly to plan, however, as the boys are unexpectedly reunited with their foes. But the boys' determination to return home is finally rewarded, though the village is never to be the same again.

In this immensely imaginative and funny story, courtesy, consideration, and teamwork prevail.

About this title

About the Author:

Anna Fienberg is the author of over 30 books for children and young adults, including The Witch in the Lake (Annick Press, 2002) and Borrowed Light (Delacorte, 2001), which was named an American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults." Anna lives in Australia.

Kim Gamble illustrates with an eye for character and a sense of fun. He and Anna Fienberg have made many marvelous books together, which are enduringly popular with children and adults. Kim lives in Australia.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6-A grim future faces Horrendo and his classmates. Every year, a band of pirates raids village homes for food, supplies, and 12-year-old boys to work the ship; few survive at sea. Consequently, the fearful people are a surly lot. But Horrendo is different because he was cursed at birth by Gretel the Wise Woman, who cannot abide rudeness. On the fateful day that the villains come, even though he had planned to escape, he gives himself up after seeing his classmates aboard the pirate ship. Although the captain terrorizes children and crew, Horrendo is always considerate. He finds a way for the boys to escape, and they arrive on an island with buried treasure where they are met by the pirates, who are after the same booty. In a dramatic struggle, the captain is killed, and they make a pact to return to the village and split the money. The homecoming is rife with greed and anger, but Horrendo saves the day with a cunning plan. Jaunty line drawings in shades of gray embellish the telling. This witty tale with a pat ending is a little on the long side. Consider it as an additional purchase for kids who like high-seas adventures.
Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Annick Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1550377728
• ISBN 13: 9781550377729
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160
• Illustrator: Gamble Kim