July 26th, 2011 from EgmontUSA
Despite her extraordinary magical abilities and sleuthing skills, Oona Crate’s detective agency has failed to take off. But a new challenge captures her attention—The Magician’s Tower Contest.
Held every five years, no one has ever completed the array of dangerous tasks (such as racing on flying carpets or defeating a horde of angry apes). As the competition commences, a case emerges. A rare punchbowl—one with unparalleled magical powers—has disappeared from the carnival surrounding the Magician’s Tower. If Oona can find the culprit, she could use the bowl to answer her question about her mother’s and sister’s tragic deaths so many years ago—was she really at fault?
I am excited to bring a super cute and fun interview with author Shawn Thomas Odyssey! He interviews the main character, Oona Crate. Learn what Oona decides to give up her magic for and what it might take to find out if she was responsible for his mother and sisters deaths.
Welcome, Shawn Thomas!
It was no doubt the elements of a classic who-dun-it mystery that earned THE WIZARD OF DARK STREET both an Edgar and an Agatha nomination last year, but I believe it was the elements of otherworldly fantasy—and of course our remarkable heroine, twelve-year-old Oona Crate—that endeared it to so many fans. It’s what sets it apart. And now that the second book in the series—THE MAGICIAN’S TOWER—is out, I’m excited to say that the world of Dark Street is brought to even more vivid and outrageous life.
Dark Street is a peculiar place. An enchanted world filled with crooked buildings and even more crooked criminals. A place where candlestick trees line the sidewalks in place of lampposts, and where clocks can tell jokes as well as time. It is a world unto itself, where inhabitants might pay a visit to the Museum of Magical History, or the Dark Street Enchantment Shop, or perhaps even—for the more adventurous—the seedy and rather garish halls of the Night Shade Hotel and Casino. A Victorian era township, Dark Street exists between two enormous gates: the Iron Gates (which open once a night, at the stroke of midnight, upon New York City), and the Glass Gates (which lead to ancient Faerie, and have been locked shut for nearly five hundred years).
Living in this world is a rather extraordinary girl by the name of Oona Crate. And while I could spend the rest of this article telling you precisely why Oona is so exceptional— for instance I could tell you about her mistrust of magic, despite her peculiar natural powers, and how she chooses to focus on logic and facts and follow her dreams of becoming a detective—I figured the best thing to do is let Oona speak for herself.
So without further ado, here is an interview I conducted with Oona about her latest adventure in THE MAGICIAN’S TOWER.
This
interview is a selection from my longer “Virtual School Visit”—a video created
as a tool for teachers and librarians to encourage reading, introduce young
readers to an author, and have loads of fun along the way. The full version can be accessed at the
official website:
Thanks
so much for having me, and I hope to see you all on Dark Street!
Be sure to pick up The Wizard or Dark Street and The Magician's Tower!
Add to Goodreads
You can find Odyssey at his website
