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Double Trouble at the Dead Zoo: Molly Malone & Bram Stoker
Dublin, 1859
Bram Boy seeking adventure (and things to write about)
Molly Part-time sneak thief and full-time Dublin legend!
When Bram and his best pal Molly meet a lonely boy called Sanjit in Dublin’s Natural History Museum, they can see he needs some friends. So they, along with Molly’s gang, The Sackville Street Spooks, take him under their wing.
Sanjit tells them the tale of the dread (and very dead) pirate, Captain Lamprey and his links to the Museum. Soon the new shipmates find themselves outwitting vagabonds and villains, hot on the trail of a mysterious long-lost treasure … the Rajapur Ruby!
But little do they know that not everyone they come across is who they claim to be!
Where CAN that ruby be?
Bram Boy seeking adventure (and things to write about)
Molly Part-time sneak thief and full-time Dublin legend!
When Bram and his best pal Molly meet a lonely boy called Sanjit in Dublin’s Natural History Museum, they can see he needs some friends. So they, along with Molly’s gang, The Sackville Street Spooks, take him under their wing.
Sanjit tells them the tale of the dread (and very dead) pirate, Captain Lamprey and his links to the Museum. Soon the new shipmates find themselves outwitting vagabonds and villains, hot on the trail of a mysterious long-lost treasure … the Rajapur Ruby!
But little do they know that not everyone they come across is who they claim to be!
Where CAN that ruby be?
- GenresFiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2023
11 people want to read
About the author
Alan Nolan
46 books7 followersAlan Nolan is a comics writer, graphic designer, artist and co-creator of the horror series Sancho. He is the creator of The Big Break Detectives Casebook, a graphic novel for younger readers, and the 'Murder Can Be Fatal' mysteries. Born in Dublin, he studied at the National College of Art and Design. He lives in Bray, County Wicklow, with his wife and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2023
Clever, funny and the perfect follow-up to The Sackville Street Caper, this fast-paced story is filled with mayhem, mysterious goings-on and friendship. The (thoroughly fictitious) Molly Malone is cheeky, quick and utterly delightful. Together with young Bram Stoker, smart and longing for adventure, Molly brings joy and excitement into his life and gives him plenty of ideas to fire his young writers’ mind. And the baddies are incredibly bad, but they are no match for the pair and the Sackville Street Spooks. Dublin, 1858 is well-drawn, filled with all the atmosphere of the time (and there’s a map!) bringing a unique curiosity that’s sure to give young readers incentive and desire to discover more history. From the streets to the Trinity Long Library to the Dead Zoo itself, the scenarios are unlikely and outrageous, but you are pulled along this wild ride and won’t want the story to end. Exciting, quirkey, intriguing, mysterious and hilarious! I can’t wait for the next installment!
August 19, 2023
Dear Alan,
How dare you write something so clever and funny? I read (part of) this in work and kept giggling out loud! (I should have learned after the first one, really, but that's not the point.) Why would you put so many references and injokes in there? I saw the ship and the reference to a scifi franchise and a tiny grumpy writer and probably lots of others I'm not clever enough to recognise! (Did you know there is currently a ship sailing under that name? She seems to be mostly in Asia, sadly.)
I bet the Dead Zoo is looking forward to a sea of extra visitors, even with your disclaimer at the end. (Hopefully someone there has a stack of copies waiting for you to sign?) I know I'll be going at some point, and I might even visit the Long Library - but hopefully I will not be buried alive with only the skeleton of a pirate to keep me company!
I can't wait to see what Molly and Bram and all their friends get up to next and what historical figures they bump into - did you know these books are a bit educational or was that an accident? Hopefully, I'll have learned by then not to read it in work, so there won't be any trouble.*
From (what I hope is) the second best children's book shop in Ireland.
* I will almost certainly not have learned.
How dare you write something so clever and funny? I read (part of) this in work and kept giggling out loud! (I should have learned after the first one, really, but that's not the point.) Why would you put so many references and injokes in there? I saw the ship and the reference to a scifi franchise and a tiny grumpy writer and probably lots of others I'm not clever enough to recognise! (Did you know there is currently a ship sailing under that name? She seems to be mostly in Asia, sadly.)
I bet the Dead Zoo is looking forward to a sea of extra visitors, even with your disclaimer at the end. (Hopefully someone there has a stack of copies waiting for you to sign?) I know I'll be going at some point, and I might even visit the Long Library - but hopefully I will not be buried alive with only the skeleton of a pirate to keep me company!
I can't wait to see what Molly and Bram and all their friends get up to next and what historical figures they bump into - did you know these books are a bit educational or was that an accident? Hopefully, I'll have learned by then not to read it in work, so there won't be any trouble.*
From (what I hope is) the second best children's book shop in Ireland.
* I will almost certainly not have learned.
October 8, 2023
This was great fun. Alan Nolan has written a good old-fashioned adventure story that is as funny as it is exciting. But there's lot more here too for the discerning young reader, he effortlessly weaves in Dublin lore and history, including the abject poverty of the city's 19th century poor whilst giving us more than a peek at Trinity College's Long Room and, of course, the infamous Dead Zoo (aka Museum of Natural History). The cast includes a brief cameo by a sulky four year old Oscar Wilde and his mother, and twelve year old Bram Stoker and his parents - I love his mother - and the wonderful Molly Malone. Highly recommend it for nine year olds and upwards. A great introduction to Dublin's fair city!
dnf
September 12, 2023Even though I love everything about or related to The Dead Zoo, this novel just wasn't for me. There was something off about the tone that didn't mesh with me.
January 23, 2024
Bram Stoker, author of the classic horror, Dracula. If you don’t recognise the name of the author, I am quite sure you know of the character. Now, have you heard of Molly Malone? Possibly not so let me introduce you to them both. After all it only seems polite when you are about to learn more about their story. Bram Stoker is a young boy who is seeking adventure, especially if those adventures give him material for the stories he loves to write. Molly Malone is a part-time fishmonger and a full-time sneak legend. Well, she is very good at sneaking so, along with her gang she has gained legendary status. Now you have met our two protagonists let me tell you more about their story. It’s called Molly Malone & Bram Stoker in Double Trouble at the Dead Zoo. Great title, isn’t it? It has been created by Alan Nolan and it perfectly suits this second title in the series.
We are transported back in time to Dublin, Ireland. The year is 1859. Bram and Molly are best friends which is great, everyone needs friends and if you can find a best one then even better! Now, when Bram and Molly are visiting Dublin’s Natural History Museum, they meet a boy called Sanjit and they discover that he is lonely. That means that he is need of some friends and they know that they are very well qualified for that role. As of course are Molly’s gang, The Sackville Street Spooks. So, they do what all good friends do, they take him under their wing. Sanjit has a tale to tell them all, one of the reasons that he was at the Natural History Museum. He tells them all the tale of the dread, and now very dead, pirate Captain Lamprey. The Captain had links to the Museum and of course, with him being a pirate, those links included treasure… Soon the gang and their new friend find themselves outwitting vagabonds and villains on the trail to finding the mysterious and long-lost pirate treasure. Little do they know that not everyone they are going to meet is who they claim to be…
We are transported back in time to Dublin, Ireland. The year is 1859. Bram and Molly are best friends which is great, everyone needs friends and if you can find a best one then even better! Now, when Bram and Molly are visiting Dublin’s Natural History Museum, they meet a boy called Sanjit and they discover that he is lonely. That means that he is need of some friends and they know that they are very well qualified for that role. As of course are Molly’s gang, The Sackville Street Spooks. So, they do what all good friends do, they take him under their wing. Sanjit has a tale to tell them all, one of the reasons that he was at the Natural History Museum. He tells them all the tale of the dread, and now very dead, pirate Captain Lamprey. The Captain had links to the Museum and of course, with him being a pirate, those links included treasure… Soon the gang and their new friend find themselves outwitting vagabonds and villains on the trail to finding the mysterious and long-lost pirate treasure. Little do they know that not everyone they are going to meet is who they claim to be…
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews