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Title details for The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts by Avi - Available

The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts

Being an Absolutely Accurate Autobiographical Account of My Follies, Fortune, and Fate

by Avi
James Langton
Audiobook
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High adventure from a master storyteller about one boy's attempt to fend for himself among cruel orphan masters, corrupt magistrates, and conniving thieves. In the seaside town of Melcombe Regis, England, 1724, Oliver Cromwell Pitts wakes to find his father missing and his house flooded by a recent storm. He's alone in his ruined home with no money and no food. Oliver's father has left behind a barely legible waterlogged note: he's gone to London, where Oliver's sister, Charity, is in trouble. Exploring damage to the town in the storm's aftermath, Oliver discovers a shipwreck on the beach. Removing anything from a wrecked ship is a hanging offense, but Oliver finds money that could save him, and he can't resist the temptation to take it. When his crime is discovered, Oliver flees, following the trail of his father and sister. The journey is full of thieves, adventurers, and treachery—and London might be the most dangerous place of all. In the tradition of his Newbery Honor book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi mixes high adventure and short, page-turning chapters with a vivid historical setting featuring a cast of highwaymen, pickpockets, and villainous criminal masterminds.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    May 16, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501953507
      • File size: 184219 KB
      • Duration: 06:23:47

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator James Langton smoothly transitions from young to old and male to female characters, and his delivery of dialogue ranges believably from refined to coarse. These traits amplify the historical authenticity of this Dickensian adventure by the award-winning author Avi. From the moment 12-year-old Oliver Cromwell Pitts is awakened by a raging storm, his life careens from one disastrous event to another. With his father and sister gone, Oliver must find a way to fend for himself in Victorian England, not an easy place for a boy on his own. Avi melds seamy historical details with healthy doses of derring-do, and Langton manages all the characters--from highwaymen to tavern keepers to prison officials, and more--with first-rate pitch and pacing, fully connecting young listeners to another time and place. S.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 20, 2017
      With dry wit and a strong Dickensian flavor, this first installment in Avi’s Oliver Cromwell Pitts saga has an 18th-century British boy finding misfortune everywhere he turns. The adventure begins with a flood shaking 12-year-old Oliver awake in his home in Melcombe Regis, “a tenth of a mile from the sea.” Wading through the waterlogged rooms of his three-story house, Oliver discovers that his father is missing. The only clue to Mr. Pitts’s whereabouts is a drenched and almost illegible note that indicates he has rushed off to London to save Oliver’s sister from a disastrous situation. Left behind with no money and an evil man threatening to send him to the poorhouse, Oliver knows his prospects are dim. In the days that follow, they grow even dimmer as he endures a string of captures, risky escapes, and dangerous run-ins with strangers and family members. Every cliffhanger-ending chapter will leave readers on the edge of their seats, wondering how Oliver will manage to survive his latest dilemma. Brimming with fast-paced action, evocative settings, and villains, this book reveals yet another side of Avi’s talent. Ages 8–12.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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