The Accidental Afterlife of Thomas Marsden

In the grave-robbing business with his father in Victorian London, 11-year-old Thomas Marsden is constantly being told to "find his bones." One night, he comes frighteningly close when he digs up the grave of a boy who looks just like him. In the grave he finds a note that reads, "My name is Thistle," and tickets to a s%C3%A9ance the following night. After additional unexplainable things take place, Thomas learns that he is a changeling%E2%80%94"something in between" a human and faery%E2%80%94and although he was born from magic, he has inherited none. Thomas now carries the burden of saving the faeries from Mordecai, a phony spiritualist using them to speak to the dead. Shifting attention between Thomas and the captive fairies, Trevayne (Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times) creates a highly entertaining twist on a fairy tale. Full of hidden messages, midnight graveyard escapades, unlikely friendships, magic, and deceit, it's an engaging tale of one boy's efforts to find himself and his way back home. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Bent Agency. (July)