The Cabinet of Curiosities
by Paul Dowswell
It is 1598 and Lukas' father has been tortured and killed by the Spanish Inquisition. Lukas is sent, for safety, to the liberal court of the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague, where his uncle is the Emperor's physician. Although soon Lukas discovers that, even here, torture and execution are commonplace.
Bored with his uncle, Lukas is tempted into crime by the petty thieves he meets in the local tavern. He steals a precious watch from the Emperor and puts his own and his uncle’s life at risk.
Disowned by his uncle and anxious to make amends, Lukas uncovers and foils a plot by the Spanish Inquisition to kill the Emperor.
A dark and chilling historical adventure that seamlessly combines fact and fiction.
Publisher: Bloomsbury
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Paul Dowswell
After doing a History degree at Goldsmith’s College in London, Paul began working as a researcher for museums and publishers. Paul started writing at Time-Life in London then moved to Usborne to work as an editor and writer of children’s non-fiction. After eight years he went freelance, writing information books for everyone from the National Trust and Hodder & Stoughton, to Scholastic’s Literacy Time classroom material and Microsoft’s DVD Encarta encyclopedia. Paul started to write more narrative non-fiction with Usborne’s True Stories series which gave him the confidence to try his hand at fiction. This led directly to the Powder Monkey series with Bloomsbury.
Paul divides his life between Wolverhampton, Chester and London. He lives in Wolverhampton with his wife and daughter. Outside of work Paul teaches a course in writing children’s books at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham.
http://www.pauldowswell.co.uk
Photo: Usborne Publishing
Reading Age: 9+
Interest level: 12+
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