The Alarming Career of Sir Richard Blackstone

By Lisa Doan

A boy must stop a giant tarantula and uncover his true identity.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 33 ratings

192 pages

$15.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Henry Hewitt, a street-smart twelve-year-old, finds refuge as an assistant to Sir Richard Blackstone, a scientist with unorthodox experiments. When a tarantula grows into a monstrous creature and terrorizes the countryside, Henry must find a cure to save Sir Richard from accusations of witchcraft. As he races against time, Henry discovers secrets about his own past that could change everything. Can he stop the beast and unravel the mystery of his identity before it's too late?

From the publisher

Twelve-year-old Henry Hewitt has been living by his wits on the streets of London, dodging his parents, who are determined to sell him as an apprentice. Searching for a way out of the city, Henry lands a position in Hampshire as an assistant to Sir Richard Blackstone, an aristocratic scientist who performs unorthodox experiments in his country manor. The manor house is comfortable, and the cook is delighted to feed Henry as much as he can eat. Sir Richard is also kind, and Henry knows he has finally found a place where he belongs.

But everything changes when one of Sir Richard’s experiments accidentally transforms a normal-sized tarantula into a colossal beast that escapes and roams the neighborhood. After a man goes missing and Sir Richard is accused of witchcraft, it is left to young Henry to find an antidote for the oversized arachnid. Things are not as they seem, and in saving Sir Richard from the gallows, Henry also unravels a mystery about his own identity.

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