{"product_id":"the-whiz-mob-and-the-grenadine-kid-9780062342461","title":"The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the creators of the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling Wildwood Chronicles comes an original, humorous, and fast-paced middle grade novel about a band of child pickpockets--imagine\u003cem\u003e The Invention of Hugo Cabret\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eOliver Twist\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is an ordinary Tuesday morning in April when bored, lonely Charlie Fisher witnesses something incredible. Right before his eyes, in a busy square in Marseille, a group of pickpockets pulls off an amazing robbery. As the young bandits appear to melt into the crowd, Charlie realizes with a start that he himself was one of their marks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet Charlie is less alarmed than intrigued. This is the most thrilling thing that's happened to him since he came to France with his father, an American diplomat. So instead of reporting the thieves, Charlie defends one of their cannons, Amir, to the police, under one condition: he teach Charlie the tricks of the trade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat starts off as a lesson on pinches, kicks, and chumps soon turns into an invitation for Charlie to join the secret world of the whiz mob, an international band of child thieves who trained at the mysterious School of Seven Bells. The whiz mob are independent and incredibly skilled and make their own way in the world--they are everything Charlie yearns to be. But what at first seemed like a (relatively) harmless new pastime draws him into a dangerous adventure with global stakes greater than he could have ever imagined.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMeloy, Colin:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eColin Meloy\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eis the writer of the bestselling Wildwood Chronicles and the singer and songwriter for the band the Decemberists. \u003cem\u003eThe Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger\u003c\/em\u003e is his first picture book. He once joined Pete Seeger onstage, singing American folk standards at the Newport Folk Festival in 2011, and even now, he can barely believe it actually happened, it was so cool. He lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with his family. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEllis, Carson:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eCarson Ellis is the illustrator of a number of books for children, including the Wildwood Chronicles, and is the author and illustrator of the picture books \u003cem\u003eDu Iz Tak?, \u003c\/em\u003e a Caldecott Honor winner, \u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eHome\u003c\/em\u003e. Carson lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her family.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Balzer \u0026 Bray\/Harperteen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50610442043666,"sku":"9780062342461","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3b251ae2-4520-47ce-aabd-a205e5f48c42.jpg?v=1732342474","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-whiz-mob-and-the-grenadine-kid-9780062342461","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}