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Something Wicked

Book Two in

Something wicked this way comes, and only Horatio Wilkes can stop it.

A Scottish Highland Fair turns foul when Horatio discovers the games’ founder, Duncan MacRae, dead in his tent. All signs point to Duncan’s son as the murderer, but Horatio’s not so sure–especially when his friend Mac and Mac’s girlfriend Beth start acting like they own the place. And that’s just one of many mysteries: Like why are Mac’s and Beth’s fathers acting so suspiciously? What’s the deal with the goth-punk bagpiper corps threatening Horatio’s friend Banks? Who is the hot girl spying on everyone? And why, exactly, are there men in kilts tossing telephone poles around?

Horatio will need all his snark and smarts–and maybe a little amazing grace–to thwart the fate a road-side psychic laid out for him and his friends. Not that Horatio believes in that kind of thing anyway . . .

Kilts, Celts, and killers: the sequel to Something Rotten is “Macbeth” as you’ve never seen it before!

Dial Books | October 2008 | Ages 14 and Up

Praise

“If young adult literature is the new Rock ’n’ Roll, as some suggest, then author Alan Gratz is Frank Zappa, and his smart, droll remakes of Shakespeare’s tragic hits–Hamlet and Macbeth–should win new converts to the old bard’s gems.”

—Christian Science Monitor

“Replete with cell phones and up-to-date references (Dance Dance Revolution, Michael Vick), this suspenseful mystery will work even for those unfamiliar with the Shakespeare play, and humor abounds as well.”

—Kliatt Magazine

Awards

2008 Christian Science Monitor Best Children’s Books of the Year
2009 SIBA Children’s Book Award Nominee
2010-2011 South Carolina Children’s Book Award Nominee