Hunchback

Randall Wright

Henry Holt and Co.

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"You!" shouted a voice from near the willow tree. "Stop!"
Hodge heard the jangle of a horse's bridle. He spun about the other way, but a dark shape jumped out of the shadows and knocked him to the ground. Light flashed into his face as a lantern was uncovered.
"A spy," hissed the figure. "A stinkin' spy."

A glorious adventure of castles, kings, traitors-and one humble hunchback who has to save them all

Long ago, Castle Marlby rang with the comings and goings of kings and princes. Now the castle is a quiet, sleepy place where everyone seems to have forgotten those golden days. Everyone but Hodge, that is. Though his hunched back earns him the unlovely job of mucking out the latrine, he dreams of serving a prince someday. But when one finally appears, he is nothing like Hodge expected.

Prince Leo is kept hidden away behind locked doors, as if he were in terrible danger. Or is he himself the dangerous one? When Hodge discovers the truth, he tumbles headlong into an adventure that proves far more exciting than he could ever have imagined. It will take all his strength to survive-and all his heart.

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Book Excerpts

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CHAPTER ONE

Hodge sat in a doorway and trimmed his toenails with a knife.With one eye turned to the task at hand, he fixed his other eye upon the stone arch directly across the cluttered courtyard. It was a talent he had, this wall-eyed staring, which allowed him to stand on the castle wall and survey both the outer plains and the inner keep at once-to see both the sky and the ground beneath. Today, however, he chose to sit in a doorway and trim his toenails with a knife.

Martin's Mary crossed the shadowed square before his view, lugging a bucket of water from the well.

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Reviews

Praise for Hunchback

"Wright keeps the tension high"--Publishers Weekly

"This engaging story simulates a chess game with its twists, turns, and power shifts. . . . This novel is well researched and well written, has cliffhanging chapter endings, and features a disabled underdog who emerges as the hero."--VOYA

"This gripping novel touches on timeless themes of brotherly love, trust, and finding oneself. . . .This evenly paced adventure is infused with a deep send of medieval time and place."--School Library Journal

" [R]eaders will root for Hodge as he learns that life as in chess, pawns can save their king-especially when protected by a more powerful piece."--Booklist

"[F]or readers with a taste for fast-paced action and unlikely heroes in medieval settings, this is a solid offering."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

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About the Author

Randall Wright

Randall Wright loves tales by the fireside, mouth-watering feasts, and musty old books. The author of A Hundred Days from Home, he currently lives with his wife and children in a small castle in the kingdom of Utah. To his regret, his castle has no moat or towers, or even stone walls, as they would tend to annoy his neighbors.

Randall Wright

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Available Formats and Book Details

Hunchback
Randall Wright

Hardcover

Hardcover
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Henry Holt and Co.
April 2004
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780805072327
ISBN10: 0805072322
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 256 pages
Age Range: 10 and up
Grade Range: 5 and up
$16.95
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From The Publisher

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

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