The Boy Lost in the Maze

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The Boy Lost in the Maze
Written by Joseph Coelho
Format: Hardback
ISBN-13: 9781536236415
Our Price: $19.99

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The Boy Lost in the Maze

author: Joseph Coelho
illustrator: Kate Milner

Theo, a seventeen-year-old London schoolboy with a single mother, is desperate to track down the father who left them, whom he scarcely remembers. At school he discovers Greek mythology and the ancient story of Theseus, a fatherless son driven on a similar search. As Theo focuses on Theseus in a series of poems he composes, it becomes clear the two journeys echo each other in uncanny ways. Theseus must conquer his enemies—a psycho Cyclops, a tree-bending murderer, a monstrous pig—while Theo is tricked and double-crossed, confronting obstacles ranging from a search-agency scam artist to a depraved lawyer. Poet Joseph Coelho brilliantly interweaves the boys’ stories, following them through dangers, horrors, and false successes, revealing that Theo must be as resourceful and strong as his mythical hero. In a unique twist, readers are asked to take a role in picking which option the heroes should pursue when facing choices on their path to manhood. The two alternating stories, along with stories from the Minotaur’s perspective, fuse into one in a riveting climax, as the protagonists meet in the heart of the labyrinth.

From the UK Children’s Laureate comes a spellbinding YA novel in verse blending the ancient myth of Theseus and the Minotaur with the quest of a modern-day teen in search of his father.
suggested retail price (U.S./CAN):
$19.99 / $25.99
isbn-10/isbn-13:
1536236411 /  9781536236415
on sale date:
03/2024
type/format:
Young Adult Novel / Hardback
age range:
12 yrs and up
# of pages/size:
320 / 5 1/16" x 7 13/16"
grade range:
Grade 7 and up
 
subjects:
Family; Legends, Myths, Fables; Novels In Verse;
author’s comments:
Joseph Coelho, an award-winning poet, playwright, and author of picture books and nonfiction, was selected as the UK Children’s Laureate in 2022. His books include Werewolf Club Rules; Overheard in a Tower Block; The Girl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems, which was short-listed for a Carnegie Medal; and Ten-Word Tiny Tales. He has also written picture books such as Luna Loves Library Day and If All the World Were. Joseph Coelho works regularly as a performance poet, and his plays for young people have been performed by various British theater groups. A staunch ambassador for libraries and for diverse and inclusive new voices in poetry, Joseph Coelho lives in Kent, England.
illustrator’s comments:
Kate Milner is the author-illustrator of the award-winning My Name Is Not Refugee and It’s a No-Money Day, which was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is also the illustrator of Joseph Coelho’s Overheard in a Tower Block and The Girl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems. Her illustrations and prints have been shown in London galleries and national touring exhibitions. A former librarian, she lives in Bedfordshire, England.
 
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