{"product_id":"the-boy-lost-in-the-maze-isbn-9781536236415","title":"The Boy Lost in the Maze","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheo, 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.Previous collaborators Coelho and Milner (\u003ci\u003eThe Girl Who Became a Tree\u003c\/i\u003e) offer a vulnerable, nuanced look at masculinity via a teenager’s search for his father paralleled with the Greek myth of Theseus. . . Coelho presents an insightful, multidimensional interpretation of a millennia-old myth.\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe language is beautifully wrought. . . Besides being gorgeously realized, the story gets high marks for originality, which is high praise, indeed.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoehlo expertly uses poetic form here to straightforwardly connect the two heroes’ quests while cannily exposing the fits and starts of Theo’s growth. . . . The interludes that focus on the minotaur feel the most raw and authentic, with deeply felt contemplations on manhood, fathers, and what it feels like to be truly loved for who you are. An additional layer of complexity is offered by the occasional unique use of a “choose-your-own-adventure” style. . . a powerful, skillful poetic novel.\u003cbr\u003e—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten in verse with nods to the classic Choose Your Own Adventure genre, this clever, well-paced novel leans into its interwoven format. . . .  The tale of the Minotaur is relayed in a particularly refreshing and poignant way. Milner’s moving ink illustrations bolster an already vivid story. Thoughtful and well executed.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cb\u003eJoseph Coelho\u003c\/b\u003e, 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 \u003ci\u003eWerewolf Club Rules\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e Overheard in a Tower Block\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eThe Girl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems\u003c\/i\u003e, which was short-listed for a Carnegie Medal; and \u003ci\u003eTen-Word Tiny Tales. \u003c\/i\u003eHe has also written picture books such as \u003ci\u003eLuna Loves Library Day \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eIf All the World Were. \u003c\/i\u003eJoseph 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKate Milner\u003c\/b\u003e is the author-illustrator of the award-winning \u003ci\u003eMy Name Is Not Refugee\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e It’s a No-Money Day\u003c\/i\u003e, which was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is also the illustrator of Joseph Coelho’s \u003ci\u003eOverheard in a Tower Block\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eGirl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems\u003c\/i\u003e. Her illustrations and prints have been shown in London galleries and national touring exhibitions. A former librarian, she lives in Bedfordshire, England.\u003cb\u003ePROLOGUE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Oracle\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Time moves in spirals;\u003cbr\u003e we are flotsam on Time’s sea.\u003cbr\u003e Time moves in spirals\u003cbr\u003e and repeats its tragedies.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e This story is about two boys,\u003cbr\u003e separated by centuries,\u003cbr\u003e parted by myth,\u003cbr\u003e divided by reality.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Two boys hoping to be men.\u003cbr\u003e Two boys severed from their fathers.\u003cbr\u003e Two boys searching a maze of manhood.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e One in ancient Greece\u003cbr\u003e from a time of magic and mythos.\u003cbr\u003e One in modern London,\u003cbr\u003e a city of delusion and gloss.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I am the Oracle,\u003cbr\u003e your thread through this maze\u003cbr\u003e as two boys start their journeys.\u003cbr\u003e No step will escape my gaze.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Let me hold your hand\u003cbr\u003e through these dark and winding lands.\u003cbr\u003e Let us discover together\u003cbr\u003e what it means to be a man.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCHAPTER 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e Theo\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Theo First Hears of Theseus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I’m doodling again,\u003cbr\u003e geometric patterns and swirls.\u003cbr\u003e Mr. Addo doesn’t mind.\u003cbr\u003e He lets me doodle—\u003cbr\u003e knows it helps me think.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Mr. Addo is silent again. He does this thing\u003cbr\u003e when he forgets words—\u003cbr\u003e presses thumb and forefinger\u003cbr\u003e to the bridge of his nose and massages,\u003cbr\u003e as if memory is a small furry thing\u003cbr\u003e behind the eyes that needs coaxing.\u003cbr\u003e He massages and ignores\u003cbr\u003e our word offerings\u003cbr\u003e until memory squeals to his stroking.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Manhood—Theseus’s story\u003cbr\u003e is about manhood—\u003cbr\u003e about fathers and sons,\u003cbr\u003e about nature and nurture,\u003cbr\u003e about legacy and destiny,\u003cbr\u003e about parents and their children\u003cbr\u003e and what it means to be a man.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I nearly say something\u003cbr\u003e before remembering\u003cbr\u003e the happy-family kids around me—\u003cbr\u003e the two-parent kids,\u003cbr\u003e big-house-in-Putney kids,\u003cbr\u003e been-on-a-plane kids,\u003cbr\u003e have-the-full-Sky-package kids.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I rest my head back on my arms\u003cbr\u003e and listen to Mr. Addo tell Theseus’s story.\u003cbr\u003e I scratch a poem title\u003cbr\u003e into my book . . .\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTheseus Killed Them!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Theseus Killed Them!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Your father is a king,” said his mother.\u003cbr\u003e “Just lift this heavy rock—\u003cbr\u003e he left some things for you\u003cbr\u003e to prove you’re kingly stock.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Beneath the rock he found:\u003cbr\u003e sandals and a sword.\u003cbr\u003e Sandals for a journey,\u003cbr\u003e a sword for the criminal hordes.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Theseus walked his father’s road\u003cbr\u003e but the way was filled with tests.\u003cbr\u003e He had to battle six enemies\u003cbr\u003e and prove he was the best.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The first was Periphetes,\u003cbr\u003e who was a little dim.\u003cbr\u003e Theseus took his bronze club;\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The second was Sinis,\u003cbr\u003e who killed with a bent-tree limb.\u003cbr\u003e He ripped his victims in two;\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The third was a pig\u003cbr\u003e who’d been causing quite a stir.\u003cbr\u003e She was the Crommyonian Sow;\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed her.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The fourth was Sciron,\u003cbr\u003e who gave his victims a surprise swim.\u003cbr\u003e He’d feed them to a monster turtle!\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The fifth was Cercyon,\u003cbr\u003e a king who wrestled for a whim.\u003cbr\u003e He’d wrestle strangers to death;\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The sixth was the innkeeper Procrustes,\u003cbr\u003e who liked everything to be trim,\u003cbr\u003e forcing guests to fit his bed!\u003cbr\u003e Theseus killed him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When the killing journey was done\u003cbr\u003e Theseus found his father’s kingdom grim,\u003cbr\u003e the young yearly killed by the Minotaur . . .\u003cbr\u003e so Theseus killed him!\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e All About the Minotaur\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We have to choose\u003cbr\u003e a subject for our\u003cbr\u003e English coursework.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I choose\u003cbr\u003e         to write about Theseus.\u003cbr\u003e         Everything is just about him and the Minotaur.\u003cbr\u003e I choose\u003cbr\u003e         to delve into his journey to his father.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I choose\u003cbr\u003e         to start reading\u003cbr\u003e         everything I can about him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Everything is all about the bull.\u003cbr\u003e Everything is all about the Minotaur.\u003cbr\u003e Everything is about muscle and horns.\u003cbr\u003e Everything is about bestial strength,\u003cbr\u003e                                                                 blood and bones.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I choose\u003cbr\u003e         to make my coursework\u003cbr\u003e         a series of poems\u003cbr\u003e         about his search for his father.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Why Can’t I See Dad?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI’ve noticed a silence\u003cbr\u003e whenever I ask about my father.\u003cbr\u003e Unspoken whisperings\u003cbr\u003e mumble behind my mother’s sealed lips.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I last saw him\u003cbr\u003e in a mudslide of argument.\u003cbr\u003e Told never to open the door to him,\u003cbr\u003e                                         to stonewall his calls\u003cbr\u003e                                                 and brick up his letters.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Seventeen now and feeling the weight\u003cbr\u003e of a father’s absence.\u003cbr\u003e Manhood’s become a rock\u003cbr\u003e I cannot lift alone.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It’s more than the clichéd stuff,\u003cbr\u003e the girl stuff,\u003cbr\u003e the body-changing stuff.\u003cbr\u003e It’s an energy thing.\u003cbr\u003e A sit-back-and-relax-with-Dad thing.\u003cbr\u003e A kick-off-your-sandals-and-trade-sword-stories thing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But my mother’s silence is immovable\u003cbr\u003e as I try to pry up the edges\u003cbr\u003e of her secrets.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Offerings\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Years of sacrifice,\u003cbr\u003e years of feeding\u003cbr\u003e quivering concerns\u003cbr\u003e into the flaring snout of my mind.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI wanna see my dad\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                 But he left us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e I don’t need him\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                 But I miss him\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e If he cared, he’d call\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                 Who can I ask . . . ?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e If he cared, he’d send a card\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                 Who would understand?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e What parts of me are like him?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e There Is a Stone in my Chest\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMark and I map the future\u003cbr\u003e on a rainy walk home after school.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e He wants to be a journalist.\u003cbr\u003e His dad will teach him how to drive,\u003cbr\u003e he’s already picked his universities,\u003cbr\u003e his parents will be at the open houses,\u003cbr\u003e his dad lets him sip raindrops of whiskey\u003cbr\u003e on sleepless nights.\u003cbr\u003e His dad tells him how to talk to girls,\u003cbr\u003e how to be respectful,\u003cbr\u003e how to listen\u003cbr\u003e like leaves listen to morning dew.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e My mum tells me . . .\u003cbr\u003e         “You don’t have to go to university—\u003cbr\u003e         no one in our family has. You’ll drown.”\u003cbr\u003e My mum says . . .\u003cbr\u003e         “Splash your name onto the council housing list.”\u003cbr\u003e My mum says . . .\u003cbr\u003e         “Not another drab open house—\u003cbr\u003e         I’m not going again.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Dad would want me to go.\u003cbr\u003e On his hailstone visits\u003cbr\u003e he’d complain to Mum . . .\u003cbr\u003e “Why can’t this boy read?”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e                        \u003ci\u003e Because no one taught me how.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e There is a stone in my chest\u003cbr\u003e when I think of my father.\u003cbr\u003e A stone I cannot lift.\u003cbr\u003e A stone that settles its weight\u003cbr\u003e when I visit the barber’s alone,\u003cbr\u003e when my body blooms.\u003cbr\u003e There is a stone in my chest\u003cbr\u003e that I cannot lift.","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301645111525,"sku":"NP9781536236415","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781536236415.jpg?v=1767738510","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-boy-lost-in-the-maze-isbn-9781536236415","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}