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Publishers Weekly, April 2007
"Welsh's (The Unresolved) latest historical novel takes readers on a haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s. Victor is a 12-year-old Italian boy whose cheerful life in Modena is dramatically altered when his parents, suspected revolutionaries, are murdered before his eyes by Austrian soldiers. Victor is sold to a merchant who uses him as a cabin boy; he adjusts to the brutal life on board the ship, but his ill luck is unrelenting: while escaping a crew member who attempts to molest him, Victor breaks his leg and is tossed overboard. He washes ashore in England, and is taken in by an elderly man who helps him learn English and recover from his injury. But the man eventually sells Victor to a pair of grave robbers, the eponymous "Resurrection men" who steal corpses for doctors' use in research and dissection. The men bring Victor to London, where he joins a guild of beggars and befriends some fellow outcasts. His luck finally begins to change when a wealthy physician makes him his apprentice, but Victor discovers evil practices within that profession as well. Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching: in the city's meat market, 'Many sheep were skinned while alive. And horses were frequently stabled in the putrefying remains of their fellows, maimed and starving, awaiting their own executions. Somehow they knew. Victor could see it in their pitiful eyes.' Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices."
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RESURRECTION MEN is T.K. Welsh's second Young Adult (YA) novel, published by Dutton (Penguin) on April 19, 2007.
Publishers Weekly called RESURRECTION MEN, “A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s...Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching...Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices." The Thrushmetal Review said, "The action and pace is steady and quick, rarely pausing, and finishes in an unforgettable, movie-quality fight-to-the-death.” BIG A, little a called the novel, “A moody, evocative tale in which more than bodies are resurrected -- the souls of the primary characters are at stake as well. Welsh brings 19th-century London to life in all its horrors and brilliance and Victor is a hero worthy of the reader's attention...T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification.” VOYA said, "Welsh’s plot and writing style are reminiscent of Oliver Twist by Dickens but far more graphic. Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller." Kirkus Reviews called RESURRECTION MEN perfect for, “audiences that relish historical fiction...(A) lurid stomach-churner... strewn with corpses and gruesome relics." TeensReadToo termed it, “an intense, dark work of historical fiction that made me read every page intently to the end...T. K. Welsh’s rich vocabulary and detailed descriptions...transported me to the streets of London...I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.” KLIATT, the Free Online Library, said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory." Jen Robinson's Book Page called the novel, “Gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details...You can practically smell the smells, and feel the hair rising on the back of your neck, as you read this book. The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." The Miss Rumphius Effect said, “T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book! Victor is a worthy protagonist, and one that is not easily forgotten once the book is finished. A wonderfully ghoulish story that captures the darkness of London in the mid-1800s. Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down.” And School Library Journal said, “Part historical fiction and part adventure story, the novel brings excitement to Victorian England through an elaborate plot of body snatching, greed, and street life...Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they follow Victor from Italy to England as he seeks to solve mysteries and combat the rampant malevolence of the period.”
Inspired by the 1831 “Italian Boy” trial of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -– the yearly salary of a working man -– Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses.
RESURRECTION MEN has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection.
For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.
To buy your copy, click here!
VOYA, April 2007
"Medical scholars in 1830 London are desperate for dead bodies to use in the study of human anatomy. Body snatchers, or 'resurrection men' steal corpses from fresh graves, or even pose as dying poor in order to claim their bodies and sel1 them to researchers. Twelve-year Victor, an Italian orphan who has barely survived a ruthless sea journey, is purchased by resurrection men Biggs and Tipple to use as a driver for their carriage. They place him in a rundown house filled with beggar children. Victor’s fortune changes when a kind physician, Dr. Thomas Quigley, takes an interest in him. He moves in with Dr. Quigley and becomes his apprentice. But Victor is unable to forget Rebecca and Nico, his only two friends from his former residence. While attending a human dissection demonstrated by the renowned Dr. Crumm, Victor realizes that the subject on the table is Nico. Shocked and sickened, he is determined to find justice for his friend. In the process, he discovers that Dr. Crumm has been infecting kidnapped street children in order to study the disease.
"Welsh paints a harsh, bleak portrait of life in London during this period, with a special emphasis on the exploitation of the hordes of homeless children who roamed the streets. His plot and writing style are reminiscent of Oliver Twist by Dickens but far more graphic. Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller."
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ALAN Review, April 2007 (Winter Edition)"In the novel, the steamship fire is started after our protagonist, 15-year-old Mallory, receives her first kiss from a young man. He attempts to save her, but the ship's lifejackets are rotten (a historically accurate detail), and she drowns after he pushes her into the water. He survives, only to be blamed for causing the fire, and our now ghostly narrator cannot rest until justice is done.
"No doubt many adolescents will enjoy this blend of romance and the supernatural set against the backdrop of an American tragedy that is often overlooked."
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RESURRECTION MEN
Released on April 19th, 2007, RESURRECTION MEN is finally available. Run out and get your copy today!
I'll be reading from RESURRECTION MEN early next month at the Princeton Teen Book Bash and at Borders, in Princeton, New Jersey. (See Events, below) Come on down and meet some of today's premier YA authors live and in person -- writers as varied as David Lubar and Patricia McCormick.
If you already own a copy of RESURRECTION MEN, click here to access a secret section of the site...just for you. (NOTE: Enter the name Secret (S-e-c-r-e-t) and the correct Password, printed at the rear of the book.)
Inspired by the 1831 “Italian Boy” trial of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses.
For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.
To buy your copy, click here!
THE UNRESOLVED
Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of 2006 by the Washington Post, THE UNRESOLVED has been named a 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature this year. The novel was nominated for the 2006 Cybils literary awards, and for the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association. It's currently featured as one of the Best Teen Books of the year 2006 at BarnesAndNoble.com.
The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction." School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account." Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up." The Edge of the Forest said, "It may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year." All About the Book said, "The Unresolved is a great one. Mallory is the most well-developed ghostly character I've seen in a long, long time..." And Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story."
Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history. Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life –- and death –- can have a powerful influence on history.
For a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here.
To buy your copy, click here!
READERS' POLL
The results are in for the March, 2007, Readers' Poll. The question was, "Who was responsible for actually starting the blaze aboard the General Slocum?" Everyone who responded got this one right, but I won't reveal the guilty party. You're just going to have to find out for yourself!
For the results of previous polls (except for March, 2007!), click here.
REVIEWS (Excerpted in March)
RESURRECTION MEN -- Editorial Reviews
Jen Robinson's Book Page, March 2007
"T. K. Welsh doesn't shrink from depicting the horrors and dangers faced by beggar children in the city: police and criminals and filth and beatings...I found this story gripping and fast-paced, filled with intriguing historical details. Several of the characters, as well as the general atmosphere of the book, feel menacing. You can practically smell the smells, and feel the hair rising on the back of your neck, as you read this book. The ending is utterly satisfying and consistent. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction."
Kirkus Reviews, March 2007
"(For) audiences that relish historical fiction...Welsh pits an orphaned beggar lad with a shattered leg and some martial-arts training against a pair of genial body snatchers in the employ of a prominent doctor who likes to molest girls and infect kidnapped children with cholera in the name of scientific discovery....(A) lurid stomach-churner... strewn with corpses and gruesome relics."
For the full text of the Reviews, click here.
EVENTS
RESURRECTION MEN
Date: May 5th, 2007
Venue: Princeton Teen Book Bash
Time: Noon - 5:00 PM
Address: Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ
Phone: (609) 924-9529
List of participating authors so far: Sarah Beth Durst, Daniel Ehrenhaft, E.R. Franks, Mariah Fredricks, Robin Friedman, K.L. Going, Rob Krech, Marie Lamba, E. Lockhart, David Lubar, Carolyn MacCullough, Leslie Margolis, Wendy Mass, Megan McCafferty, Patricia McCormick, Blake Nelson, Kieran Scott, Ned Vizzini, Maryrose Wood, and yours truly, T.K. Welsh.
RESURRECTION MEN
Date: May 9th, 2007
Venue: Borders Books
Time: 7:00 PM
Address: 601 Nassau Park, Bldg. G, (off Route 1), Princeton, NJ
Phone: (609) 514-0040
KLIATT, Free Online Library, April 2007
"After his parents are killed right in front of him, 12-year-old Victor, from Modena, Italy, is sold as a cabin boy. His leg is shattered in a terrible fall on a ship and he is flung overboard, washing up on the shores of England. But all the danger and hurt Victor has experienced so far is nothing compared to the calculated cruelty he encounters as a crippled beggar in the mean, filthy streets of London in 1830, where bodysnatchers ("resurrection men") supply physicians eager to study human anatomy with not only fresh corpses but also live children for their experiments. Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of a particularly evil doctor and save the girl he loves.
"Based on the body-snatcher trials of the 1830s, this dark, atmospheric thriller by the author of the YA novel The Unresolved is an absorbing if often gruesome read. There are gory details of our hero cramming into an already occupied coffin and what takes place in a slaughterhouse and at a dissection, which will either thrill or appall readers. Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory."
S -- Recommended for senior high school students.
Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT
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