The Hunchback Assignments

Great read

This is a book that may interest young minds

Great for teens

I loved the action,suspense, and mystery. Great for boys and girls. Definately worth the buy.

A

A

Excellent

I liked this book a lot.

Exciting Steampunk for Kids

This is a fun steampunk novel for the middle school age group. There is so much adventure and imagination in this book that is is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers.

Modo is an incredibly ugly, hunchbacked young orphan who can change his appearance at will He was brought up in isolation by the mysterious Mr. Socrates to be a secret agent. I really felt for him in this book, he is so young and sheltered in so many ways, but so smart and able to fight at the same time. The scenes where he tries to come to terms with his appearance are touching and really add a human element to the book.

Modo teams up with Octavia Milkweed, a beautiful but street smart young woman who is also part of Mr. Socrates' secret organization. Mr Socrates is a shady and mysterious character who heads an ultra secret agency that is trying to protect the British Empire. Then there are the supporting characters and bad guys who also add so much to the book. The crazy Dr Hyde, is brilliant with all of his potions and clockwork mechanisms. Hakkandottir is an amazing, diabolical evil woman who kids will love to hate.

Slade throws these characters into horrifying scenarios where Modo and Octavia have to use their brains and instincts if they are to defeat the Clockwork Guild and their horrible, yet fascinating, scientific plans.

I really enjoyed the setting of Victorian London and the throwing together of the Hunchback and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde stories to create something unique and interesting. The clockwork gadgets and science aspects of the book mixed with well to create exciting action, mystery and intrigue. Then there is Slade's writing, which is sure to keep kids reading. This book will appeal to both boys and girls who have an interest in history and science, as well as those who like fast paced adventure.

Great for steampunk fans

This book was a real fun and enjoyable read. The beginning of the book started off as intriguing and interesting that you were immediately curious as to what was going to happen next. The description of the different inventions and machinery in the book were well written and could be easily pictured in one's mind while reading. I really did like the plot, it was fast, lots of action on the pages, lots of intrigue (I love intrigue!) and mystery, and naturally it story leaves you with what's next on Modo's agenda. There is plenty of steampunk here for those that love the genre. I especially like the clockwork birds.

Modo is very easily liked and he's your typical "although he's deformed, he's got a heart of gold" type of character. Mr Socrates is your typical "boss" character, stonefaced, hardly any emotion, and usually is just there to tell others what to do. All characters in the book are likable and fun in their own way(Octavia is very interesting).

I really did like the secret society concept used in the book. It gives the plot more mystery and especially if a member of royalty involved it enhances the mystery and intrigue even more. Yet even after being finished with the book there are still questions needed to be answered about this society and it's obvious that we have not seen the last of them yet.

What bugged me about the book was the animal experimentation.Yet it wasn't graphical and bloody, but the idea still bothered me though. Another thing I didn't like is sometimes the description - a particular description of a machine was very hard for me to picture. Then again that could be because I'm not so mechanically inclined - perhaps other readers may find it easier to figure it out.

Overall, a great book for children and adults alike, an even bigger treat for those that are into steampunk fiction. This is a great start to a very exciting series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the second book (which in fact, I have taken out of the library recently).

Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com

Mysterious Mr. Socrates found a one-year-old child in the back of a gypsy cart with the label "L'Enfant du Monstre." Thinking the child was just physically deformed, Mr. Socrates turned to go; however, the toddler called out to him, and when he looked again, a reformation was taking place. This infant was able to change his facial features, so the deformity disappeared for a few moments. Mr. Socrates immediately recognized the value in this ability.

Four short years later, Modo shows advanced intellectual ability. He is able to read, complete complex mathematical equations, and study languages. Mrs. Finchley, a governess, has been hired by Mr. Socrates to care for him and Tharpa, an Indian man, has been retained to teach him combat skills. The only stipulations on Modo's life are that he cannot leave the three rooms that Mr. Socrates has declared as his and that he must concentrate only on studies that will increase his intelligence.

Though he can feel and even see a protrusion on his back, he is not allowed to see himself until at five, when he is given a mirror by Mr. Socrates. Modo is devastated by what he sees. His face, in fact his whole head, is deformed.

When Modo turns fourteen, Mr. Socrates finally allows him out of his rooms. Unfortunately, the journey that Mr. Socrates takes him on is not the gift he had hoped it would be. On the train to London, Mr. Socrates informs him that he will be aiding in the protection of England. His first task is to survive on the London streets without warning or help.

As the story progresses, Modo succeeds in that first task, so Mr. Socrates and a secret society called the Permanent Association send him on more difficult and dangerous assignments. Together with another agent, fifteen-year-old Octavia Milkweed, he undertakes a series of adventures in an effort to save the grandson of the queen.

Slade's gripping tale touches the heart, and readers will root for Modo and Octavia as they show the adults around them that loving others and offering mercy are among the strongest traits people should desire. The most important theme in the book is that physical appearances do not always reflect a person's heart.

Not as good as I'd hoped

To be honest, I was a little disappointed in this book. Perhaps it's that my hopes were so high to begin with, but they weren't quite met. Given the overview, there was certainly a recipe for an excellent tale-steampunk, Victorian England, the hunchback of Notre Dame as the main character, but as a teenager, and having been raised completely differently-but the execution was a little lacking.

Specifically, I felt like the story was rushed, and Slade didn't take the time to relish in the scenes, the action, the science, etc. Give it a hundred to two hundred more pages, and I think the whole story would really come alive. I would care more about the characters. They would have a bit more time to develop, especially Modo, who could use a lot more writing about his magical power as well as his training. We need more character backstory, more development, and more description about everything involved.

The ending certainly leaves it open for a sequel or a few, and I'm hoping they get better with each installment.

-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseylibrary.com

Unique, adventurous read!

One of my favorite things about this novel is that it is unique before anything else. Maybe it's just because I haven't read a lot of steampunk but I felt that Modo and Octavia and the 19th century London they live in are amazingly creative. It really is a fantastical novel with an unlikely but just as lovable hero. Modo is such a great character with a huge, innocent heart (as he is only 14!) even though his beauty rests on the inside. I'm not sure if Slade is planning a sequel but if he is, I can't wait to get my hands on it because I would love to be transported back to this world again and again.

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