Andrew Douglas works for a company specializing in returning kidnap victims to their families. Italy's foremost woman jockey is kidnapped, then a racehorse owner's son and finally the Senior Steward of the Jockey Club. Douglas is brought in to deal with these cases.
In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place - looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she's been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in.
An acclaimed literary work, The Elegance of the Hedgehog has been considered by critics and press alike as a publishing phenomenon. Upon the novel's release, it had received significant support from booksellers. The novel has earned Barbery the 2007 French Booksellers Prize, the 2007 Brive-la-Gaillarde Reader's Prize, and the Prix du Rotary International in France. The Elegance of the Hedgehog has been adapted into film, with a target release date of 2008/2009.
His 11th adventure takes Southern California psychologist/sleuth Alex Delaware to a remote Pacific island where hidden evils of the past and present are gradually, harrowingly, brought to light. While his L.A. house is being renovated, Alex, his guitar-making lover, Robin Castagna, and their doted-upon French bulldog,
Terry Deary returns to one of the most popular of the Horrible Histories topics and reveals more disgusting details about the awesome ancients, their groovy gods, potty pyramids and of course, their mad mummies. Readers can find out how a hunted hippo got his own back on a phoul pharaoh and discover the truth about the cool queen Cleo and the curse of Tutankhaumun. There's also a top ten of phunny pharaohs, a mad mummies quiz and lots of foul facts about the messy mistakes the Egyptians made before becoming mummy-making experts.
