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80th out of 281 books
—
446 voters
The Grave Robber's Apprentice
by
Allan Stratton (Goodreads Author)
Hans doesn't know who he is or where he came from. When he was a baby, he washed ashore in a wooden box and was adopted by the conniving grave robber Knobbe the Bent. Now fate has thrown him together with Angela von Schwanenberg, a young countess fleeing for her life from the evil Archduke Arnulf and his dreaded necromancer. Together, these friends are on a daring quest to...more
256 pages
Published
March 6th 2012
by HarperCollins
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[Review in Portuguese]
O Aprendiz do Ladrão de Túmulos, de Allan Stratton
Planeta - 300 páginas
João e Ângela Gabriela vivem uma aventura sem igual - com direito a muito perigo e recompensas impagáveis.
Título: O Aprendiz do Ladrão de Túmulos
Título Original: The Grave Robber's Apprentice
Autor: Allan Stratton
Tradutora: Lívia Almedary
Editora: Planeta
ISBN: 978-85-422-0077-5
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Lançamento: 2012
Nº de Páginas: 300
Comprar Online:
Inglês: Amazon / Book Depository
Português: Cult...more
O Aprendiz do Ladrão de Túmulos, de Allan Stratton
Planeta - 300 páginas
João e Ângela Gabriela vivem uma aventura sem igual - com direito a muito perigo e recompensas impagáveis.
Título: O Aprendiz do Ladrão de Túmulos
Título Original: The Grave Robber's Apprentice
Autor: Allan Stratton
Tradutora: Lívia Almedary
Editora: Planeta
ISBN: 978-85-422-0077-5
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Lançamento: 2012
Nº de Páginas: 300
Comprar Online:
Inglês: Amazon / Book Depository
Português: Cult...more
SPOILERY
It was fine; I actually enjoyed it. It was certainly action-packed. And grim. Quite grim.
However, it was very obvious how it would turn out, and nothing at all came as a surprise to me or felt that fresh. I kept thinking about "A Horse and his Boy", because of the whole "boy raised by gruff, poor, somewhat morally corrupt man, runs off with escaping noble girl, who treats him badly at first because she's classist, but learns that he's got a brave soul, but also it turns out he's really...more
It was fine; I actually enjoyed it. It was certainly action-packed. And grim. Quite grim.
However, it was very obvious how it would turn out, and nothing at all came as a surprise to me or felt that fresh. I kept thinking about "A Horse and his Boy", because of the whole "boy raised by gruff, poor, somewhat morally corrupt man, runs off with escaping noble girl, who treats him badly at first because she's classist, but learns that he's got a brave soul, but also it turns out he's really...more
A wooden chest baring a foreign royal crest with a babe baring an eagle birthmark on his shoulder are found washed ashore and is adopted by a greedy grave robber. Raised as his apprentice, Han cannot help but despise the life he finds he has and longs to find friendship with the young countess he watches from outside her grounds. Angela Gabriela von Schwanenberg is not your typical spoiled countess though. Raised mostly by her nurse she dreams of adventures and loves the call of the theater, whe...more
"I have to flee to a secret place," Angela said. "There'll be all sorts of perils: Highwaymen. Wolf packs. And if I survive, even worse. I'll be on a quest to free my parents from the devil himself: Archduke Arnulf and his Necromancer! I need someone I can count on."
"That's me!" Hans exclaimed.
Found by a grave robber when he was an infant, Hans grows up not knowing his past or his place in the world. He is horrified by the thought of following in his foster father's footsteps as a grave robber,...more
"That's me!" Hans exclaimed.
Found by a grave robber when he was an infant, Hans grows up not knowing his past or his place in the world. He is horrified by the thought of following in his foster father's footsteps as a grave robber,...more
ATOS Book Level: 4.6
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 7.0
Lexile: 650
Word Count: 47035
Knobbe the Bent, the grave robber, is out one stormy night searching the shoreline hoping for items thrown on the shore from a ship wreak when he spots a jeweled box stuck in the rocks. He's hoping for a box of treasure, but instead he opens the box only to find a baby boy. While at first he's tempted to throw the boy back and keep the box, he decides that the boy might show himself useful during...more
Interest Level: Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
AR Points: 7.0
Lexile: 650
Word Count: 47035
Knobbe the Bent, the grave robber, is out one stormy night searching the shoreline hoping for items thrown on the shore from a ship wreak when he spots a jeweled box stuck in the rocks. He's hoping for a box of treasure, but instead he opens the box only to find a baby boy. While at first he's tempted to throw the boy back and keep the box, he decides that the boy might show himself useful during...more
Feb 17, 2013
Jan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
alliances,
apprentice,
costumes,
family,
fantasy,
fathers-and-sons,
good-vs-evil,
magic,
murder,
prisoners,
range7,
rescue,
royalty,
secrets,
necromancer,
cemetary
SUMMARY: Hans is a foundling washed up on the beach and adopted and raised by a grave robber a job he does not look forward to. By chance he meets Countess Angela Gabriela, nearly thirteen, on the run from an evil archduke interested in her families wealth and plans to get it through marrying her. A deal with the sly necromancer goes wrong leaving Angela buried alive, her parents in an insane asylum, and the evil archduke loose upon the world. What will it take for them to form an alliance, deve...more
A rip-roaring fantasy adventure that grabs the reader from page one. Knobbe the grave robber finds a box on the beach and hopes it will have treasure inside. Instead, it has a baby. But, he keeps the baby and raises him, intending to make the child his apprentice. Hans grows up as a very reluctant apprentice, far too squeamish to do any actual grave robbing. The first grave he actually manages to rob is of the recently deceased young countess, Angela. But, when he opens her coffin, she sits up a...more
The stories and stuff of which legends are made. The Grave Robber's Apprentice is just that...full of imagery, adventure, and brave-hearts, this story takes its cue from fairy tales and legends. Hans, a poor, beraggled boy is apprenticed to a grave robber, but his true identity is not known, since he washed up on a shore as a baby and was found by Knobbe, the old grave robber. In a moment of kind-heartedness, Knobbe took the boy on as his own...yet grand and royal destinies are in the future for...more
Stratton's use of language is probably the highlight of The Grave Robber's Apprentice; his sentences are rhythmic and alliterative, and I imagine this book would sound great read aloud. However, I didn't really enjoy the plot that much. Parts of it are very predictable (the mystery of Hans' origins is not hard to solve) and other parts come straight out of nowhere (such as the sudden, random appearance of an Italian circus family). Many of the characters are clichés; I particularly did not care...more
I think this book was amazing.It had so much adventure,drama,horror,it never gets boring.I could read that book a million times and it would never get boring.I think that the other silver birch readers will like this book because like i said it never gets boring.Even when the are trying to fall asleep its intresting.I think it was amazing how they keep runing and geting away.
2 likes · like · see review
Hans, when he was a baby, was washed ashore in a small wooden chest and was found and adopted by the grave robber, Knobbe the Bent. Hans is now thirteen and can’t stand the gruesome work of grave robbing. He’s desperate to find out who he really is.
He unknowingly rescues the thirteen-year-old Countess Angela Gabriela von Schwanenberg from the evil Archduke Arnulf and his creepy necromancer and together they must save Angela’s parents from the archduke. Their quest takes them to find a band of re...more
He unknowingly rescues the thirteen-year-old Countess Angela Gabriela von Schwanenberg from the evil Archduke Arnulf and his creepy necromancer and together they must save Angela’s parents from the archduke. Their quest takes them to find a band of re...more
4th, 5th, 6th A good book to read in the dark of the night, as there are some very dark characters in this story. Take the Necromancer, a mysterious and eyeless creature, always sticking something new in his empty sockets (coal, door knobs, etc). Or the evil Archduke who removed his hands to have them be replaced with a set of steel hands...wearing the bones of the originals around his neck. And of course, there is grave robbing. We follow a young lively countess, Angela, who must set out to fre...more
The Good Stuff
* Fabulous opening chapter - will grab the kids (and adults) attention right away
* The banter between Angela and Hans is delightful
* Angela is a fantastic heroine - feisty and brave, yet compassionate and hilarious
* Hans is a perfect companion for Angela and they work so well together
* Wonderful adventure story full of nasty villians and wacky secondary characters
* Lots of scary and gross bits will attract the middle school boy reader
* Young kids save the day -- kids eat tha...more
* Fabulous opening chapter - will grab the kids (and adults) attention right away
* The banter between Angela and Hans is delightful
* Angela is a fantastic heroine - feisty and brave, yet compassionate and hilarious
* Hans is a perfect companion for Angela and they work so well together
* Wonderful adventure story full of nasty villians and wacky secondary characters
* Lots of scary and gross bits will attract the middle school boy reader
* Young kids save the day -- kids eat tha...more
This is the first book that I have read by Allan Stratton and it was impressive. I read this book in one sitting. In some ways it is a classic coming-of-age story, but it is the coming of age of both a boy and a girl. Both Angela and Hans have a past they are running from. But Hans also has a past that he is unaware of. Together they end up on the road. They are running from a terrible evil that is looking to exterminate them both. Sometimes it is what we don't know that is the most important an...more
High adventure awaits in this Shakespearean tale of missing heirs, evil magicians, and a Bluebeard-style wicked ruler. The author's gleeful embracement of the conspicuously awful (torture chambers, descriptions of rotting corpses, and being buried alive...) reminded me of the more gruesome Grimm tales, with a bit of Lemony Snicket thrown in. I, personally, loved the various objects the over-the-top Necromancer used for eyeballs in his loathsome empty sockets. I was hoping for a bit more characte...more
The Grave Robber’s Apprentice was a fabulous mid-grade fairytale adventure. It had princesses, evil magicians, traveling performers and an unlikely hero. The pace of the story was great – it never dragged and had a lot of action while still managing to develop emotion and show character depth. It was clearly written and easy to read; I never found myself tripping over the story. The plot was interesting and had themes of family, love and true bravery - along with a lot of fun adventure. Hans and...more
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Well, that was legitimately disappointing. I was really looking forward to reading this after I got a copy at ALA Midwinter, but the only expectation I had about it that was fulfilled was that it is a quick read. But that was because I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. It's like someone crossed The Princess Bride with every Shakespeare play they read in high school, but took themselves completely seriously. It was a huge pile of cliches, and as such, extremely predictable, excep...more
3.5/5!
Shakespeare, I think, would be pleased with (although unsurprised by the plot of) this book! Elements from his tragedies and comedies can be found throughout (though I'm sure a lot of readers in the age group this book is directed at won't be overly familiar with the original stories).
The only thing that would concern me about recommending this book widely is The Necromancer and his Weevils. Where they are involved, the story is dark and creepy in a get-under-your-skin way. While the over...more
Shakespeare, I think, would be pleased with (although unsurprised by the plot of) this book! Elements from his tragedies and comedies can be found throughout (though I'm sure a lot of readers in the age group this book is directed at won't be overly familiar with the original stories).
The only thing that would concern me about recommending this book widely is The Necromancer and his Weevils. Where they are involved, the story is dark and creepy in a get-under-your-skin way. While the over...more
Very, very entertaining read. Endless action and adventure. Definitely a book I think young male readers will enjoy, with its battles and narrow escapes. But I also think, with its strong princess lead, it’s a book that girls could enjoy, if they don’t mind a little icky-ness, which some of the scenes, particularly those with grave robbing, contain.
The setting is fantastic, with its hint of magic, yet entirely believable. The villains are entirely evil, yet slightly sympathetic, and the heroes...more
The setting is fantastic, with its hint of magic, yet entirely believable. The villains are entirely evil, yet slightly sympathetic, and the heroes...more
I finished reading this book about five days ago and I can barely remember what I read. I can't say that I loved this book. It felt like a regurgitation of Shakespeare and while Shakespeare was able to become famous with his ideas this author felt like a copycat. I wanted to take a day to get over my anger at reading a book that used every other famous author's ideas so that I could come back and be an impartial reader. The problem was that I completely forgot what the book was about. It was not...more
I wanted to like this book so much, but it has serious flaws (if it weren't for the puppets, I would probably give it just two stars, but I loved the puppet content). The tone varies a lot (I don't usually expect the exciting and tense conclusion of a fantasy novel to degenerate into farce, and there's too much back and forth between childish and almost too nasty for children throughout the book). There's a lot in it that's good, but not enough to make it a good book, and most of the characters...more
HarperCollins has done a book trailer for THE GRAVE ROBBER'S APPRENTICE that really captures the book's feel. If you're interested, it's on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT5WjY...
Incidentally, I dedicated the book to my mom. She was amazing: a single mother in the 1950s. She took me to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night when I was five and ever after. My love of literature and theatre all stem from those early years. I owe her, well, everything. :)
Incidentally, I dedicated the book to my mom. She was amazing: a single mother in the 1950s. She took me to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night when I was five and ever after. My love of literature and theatre all stem from those early years. I owe her, well, everything. :)
3 likes · like · see review
Feb 28, 2013
Colbythecoolcat
added it
I really enjoyed The Grave Robber's Apprentice! I mostly enjoyed The Weevil's alot because they would always be up to something , that i like to hear about! My favourite part of the book is when Angela drinks the postion and when she gets buried alive! I am very glad i read this book because it was very thrilling and you never see anything coming! I recomend for people to read this book!
Unfortunately, I was not impressed with this book at all. I've read other books by Stratton before and I really enjoyed them, but this book just didn't cut it for some reason. Even though it was clearly a juvenile novel, it still felt like it should have been marketed for an even younger audience. I thought the characters were flat and I wished I could have seen more maturity from the two children. The book was also fairly unsettling/creepy at times, but that didn't add up with the rest of the s...more
I like this book for younger readers who like fantasy and fairy tales. It reads like a fairy tale or reminds me of a classic fantasy with a hero on a quest to find his identity and in the process of his search finds true love and fortune. The book has a humorous tone even in the midst of danger.
The reader knows that all will be well.
The reader knows that all will be well.
Not based on a fairytale per se, this story definitely has a fairytale feel. Some elements were predictable to me as an adult (of course the boy is the missing heir and the kindly hermit is his father hiding out from the usurper evil brother), but the climax was pleasantly surprising and dramatic. Lots of references to the value of story and imagination.
The first couple chapters held promise. The description of Knobbe and the boy were enough to draw me in, but the book got continually more and more cliched as the book wore on until it finally became so painful I had to skim to the end. Many parts of the book felt like they'd been 'patched' in. They just didn't fit together.
What a wonderful book! I found myself completely entranced by this story - it's funny (lord, is it funny at times....), adventurous, action-packed, creepy and - best of all - extremely well-written. Kudos to Allan Stratton for such a wonderful book. I can't wait to share it with my students.
Although I gave this book 3 stars I predict it will be a favourite of the students reading Silver Birch this year. It just isn't my favourite kind of book and I had to spread my reading time into little parts (not usually how I like to read a book). My predicition is this book will be liked by all but some of the boys will LOVE IT!!!
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ALLAN STRATTON is the internationally acclaimed author of CHANDA'S SECRETS, winner of the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the Children's Africana Book Award, and ALA Booklist's Editor's Choice among others. His first YA novel was the ALA Best Book LESLIE'S JOURNAL. His latest, CHANDA'S WARS, a Junior Library Guild selection, won the Canadian Library Association's Young...more
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updated Jan 09, 2013 04:14pm