Learning to Speak Latino. Science Age of Humans. A New Treatment for Blindness. America's Most Revolutionary Artist. At the Smithsonian Visit. Looking at Artists Looking at Themselves. Photos Submit to Our Contest. Photo of the Day. Throughout the s, body snatchers in the United States and England sold corpses to anatomists for medical dissections.

The practitioners of this unsavory art came to be known as "resurrectionists. He was also, despite his political prestige, the victim of body snatchers. Body snatching was a problem at the time; doctors craved corpses for anatomy lessons, and it was not yet legal to use unclaimed bodies for dissection in Ohio. Today, voluntary body-donation programs allow medical students to learn anatomical lessons from corpses. To protect Harrison's body, his family interred him in a heavy vault and covered the vault with soil mixed with large rocks.

But that didn't deter the resurrectionists. On the day of Harrison's funeral, mourners noticed that a nearby fresh grave that had contained the body of a man named Augustus Devin was empty. One of Harrison's sons was a friend of Devin's; he joined with a second friend and headed to Cincinnati's medical schools in search of the body.

Instead, they found John Scott Harrison, hanging nude from a rope in a dark chute. Harrison's body had been snatched, too. Devin's body was later found preserved in a vat of brine at the University of Michigan medical college. Silent film icon Charlie Chaplin died in December Several months later, in March , his grave was found open, a pile of fresh earth piled next to the hole.

According to a contemporary report by the Associated Press , Chaplin's entire coffin was missing, and drag marks in the grass suggested it had been dragged to a nearby alley and whisked away by truck. At first, there was no hint as to who had stolen the famed body. Some speculated that crazy fans had stolen the body to repatriate it to Chaplin's native England.

It took more than two months to discover the body snatchers — a Bulgarian and a Polish immigrant who demanded a ransom of , British pounds — equivalent to approximately 1. Chaplin's widow had no interest in paying the ransom. A police spokesman told The Glasgow Herald: Now fate has thrown him together with Angela von Schwanenberg, a young countess fleeing for her life from the evil Archduke Arnulf and his dreaded necromancer. Together, these friends are on a daring quest to Hans doesn't know who he is or where he came from.

Together, these friends are on a daring quest to discover Hans' true identity and to save Angela's parents from the archduke. In this world, anything is possible with luck and imagination - even for a grave robber's apprentice. Hardcover , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

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To ask other readers questions about The Grave Robber's Apprentice , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Grave Robber's Apprentice. Lists with This Book. I knew it was a little on the gory side to start out with — the main character is the apprentice of a grave robber, after all, which comes with quite a few… interesting descriptions.

Grave Robbers Once Held Charlie Chaplin’s Body For Ransom

Plus entertaining little anecdotes, such as Hans being so good at keeping his balance on ice due to 4. Plus entertaining little anecdotes, such as Hans being so good at keeping his balance on ice due to years of standing on coffins in muddy graves. This is a bit of a hard one to classify. On the one hand it's set in historical Austria - except none of it as far as I know is actually based in history. Well, it's fantastic, but you won't find hide nor hair of any mythical creatures here, and the only 'magic-user' in the story is never actually shown to use real magic, preferring to deal in trickery and mind games.

Whatever the genre, however, it was an entertaining read and kept me wondering what would happen next. The narrator did an amazing job of giving the characters distinct voices and bringing out their personalities. And the author, of course, did an amazing job creating said personalities and bringing them to life in the first place. My favourite characters were the parents from the circus troupe. It takes you out of the story a bit when you have to do that.

The Grave Robber's Apprentice

Mar 11, Lea rated it really liked it Shelves: And if I survive, even worse. I'll be on a quest to free my parents from the devil himself: Archduke Arnulf and his Necromancer! I need someone I can count on. Found by a grave robber when he was an infant, Hans grows up not knowing his past or his place in the world.

He is horrified by the thought of following in his foster father's footsteps as a grave robber, "I have to flee to a secret place," Angela said. He is horrified by the thought of following in his foster father's footsteps as a grave robber, but cannot imagine another life for himself. Angela is weeks away from her 13th birthday, when she is expected to marry the Archduke whose previous wives have all met with unfortunate accidents. When Angela and Hans meet, their lives and fates entwine in some very unexpected ways, but can they work together to save not just themselves, but the entire Archduchy of Waldland?

The author skillfully combines various elements into a fun story of betrayal, attempted murder, hidden identities, evil sorcerers, grave robbing, highwaymen, stolen birthrights, and even dancing bears! For ages 10 and up, this is an old-style adventure, a fast and easy read that will keep you turning pages until the very end. Adults and older children will see many of the twists before they happen, but it really doesn't take away from the enjoyment of reading this tale.

The chapters are very short, and the language is fairly simply -- aside from a few words that may need to be looked up or explained by an adult, as well as a smattering of italian -- making this a good possibility for reluctant readers. There are just a couple of things parents should be aware of: The Archduke Arnulf is also somewhat frightening, and there are also scenes in a dungeon and an asylum that might be difficult for sensitive kids.

The Necromancer also receives his comeuppance, being delivered to the asylum while under the effects of a potion which makes him appear to be dead. When we last see him, he is taken to be dissected -- presumably while still aware of his surroundings. I would love to see further adventures from this author, and I highly recommend this book.


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I can't believe I forgot to mention the charming illustrations by Jim Kay that are featured at the beginning of each chapter and act -- although not in colour, they are quite lovely and evoke each scene and character perfectly. The book's cover also feature's this artists's work -- in colour this time -- and there are so many tiny details to enjoy. If you're interested, it's on YouTube at: Incidentally, I dedicated the book to my mom. She took me to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night when I was five and ever after.

My love of literature and theatre all stem from those early years. I owe her, well, everything. Sep 15, Amanda Lyons rated it really liked it. I see a lot of reviews riffing on this one for having some darker themes, it really isn't as dark as those reviews make it out to be and honestly underestimate kids' ability to get those themes whether parents and adults like it or not.

In fact, we actually fail kids when we assume they don't, we grew up with the likes of Labyrinth, Neverending Story, and Dark Crystal none of which were purified of all potentially sad plot points to better suit parents ideal outlook for kids because most parents I see a lot of reviews riffing on this one for having some darker themes, it really isn't as dark as those reviews make it out to be and honestly underestimate kids' ability to get those themes whether parents and adults like it or not.

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In fact, we actually fail kids when we assume they don't, we grew up with the likes of Labyrinth, Neverending Story, and Dark Crystal none of which were purified of all potentially sad plot points to better suit parents ideal outlook for kids because most parents of that era got that kids liked those themes and were genuinely moved by them in a learning way. Let's not get me started on the folks that seem to expect a kids book will have as dark and complex plots as those we find in the adult novels they normally read Do yo uread these YA books to enjoy them or to rip them up for entertainment?

Honestly, that's pretty sad if it's the case. Anyway, on to the plot of this one. The Grave Robber's Apprentice is a story created by the author based on some the classic plays of such playwrights as Shakespeare. In it we find ourselves with a boy who is not certain of his role in life as a Grave Robber though it's all he has ever known and a young countess who is whip smart and independent who is tackling her own problems with an unwanted suitor who appears to want her to obtain her land and money over all.

Both of their lives cross paths when events begin to become much more complex in the events of the suitor bullying the Countess and her parents into allowing her betrothal and the boy's adopted father trying to force matters on his learning to rob graves for himself. Knowing a great deal about plays and plots through making some of her own with her marionettes and with the aid of Hans the grave robber apprentice knowledge of traps, hidden spaces and other skills learned in the graveyard the pair soon find themselves on a tangled path to rescue her parents while seeking to outsmart the Archduke.

ALong the way many small details about Hans past are revealed and a great many friends aid them in various events that take them closer to the climax of the story. This is definitely a fun one for kids who enjoy mystery, suspense and some gothic or creepy elements in their stories, very fun and admirably put together. Dec 19, Danielleacorn rated it it was amazing Shelves: I think this book was amazing. It had so much adventure,drama,horror,it never gets boring. I could read that book a million times and it would never get boring.

The Grave Robbers " HUMANOPHOBIA "

I think that the other silver birch readers will like this book because like i said it never gets boring. Even when the are trying to fall asleep its intresting. I think it was amazing how they keep runing and geting away. Feb 09, Jennifer Rayment rated it it was amazing Shelves: Sneaky,little schemers, out to make a fellow weak. Who knows the future. Do the best you can and never regret a kindness. To live a coward is not to live at all.

Aug 31, Joseph R rated it really liked it. I liked that the book was a mix of Thriller and Mystery because it starts out mysterious with knobbe doing his "grave robbing deed" and then it has Angela on an adventure with Hans to rescue her parents from the necromancer "the devil himself". I think it turns in to a thriller mid book and it starts to have that thought in it like you know something is going to happen it's like in a movie when it has that mysterious creepy music and it gets higher pitched but in the book Allan expresses it wit I liked that the book was a mix of Thriller and Mystery because it starts out mysterious with knobbe doing his "grave robbing deed" and then it has Angela on an adventure with Hans to rescue her parents from the necromancer "the devil himself".

I think it turns in to a thriller mid book and it starts to have that thought in it like you know something is going to happen it's like in a movie when it has that mysterious creepy music and it gets higher pitched but in the book Allan expresses it with tone and it adds more mysterious things when peter is in the story you don't know what happened to him and how he was living without his wife and child.

I still don't understand why Allan the author would start the book with the soon to be character "Hans" in a box or casket when he was a child and was found by knobbe it just makes the surrounding story of the book just plain weird. I loved the tone of the whole story because it was on and off and it kept changing it was never the same. What I would have done is start it towards a backstory of knobbe and why he Grave Robs and why he lives like he does.

I recommend this book if you like either: Because I was never bored reading all the pages of it. And I liked Angela's character because she does not get off-guard and she is doing this in a serious way and she only does this adventure because of her parents, if nothing happened this book would be 10 pages.

Jan 23, Scoot rated it it was amazing Shelves: It had princesses, evil magicians, traveling performers and an unlikely hero. The pace of the story was great — it never dragged and had a lot of action while still managing to develop emotion and show character depth. It was clearly written and easy to read; I never found myself tripping over the story. The plot was interesting and had themes of family, love and true bravery - along with a lot of fun adventure.


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Hans and Angela were both great characters and you quickly became attached to each of them. I enjoyed the fact that this was a fairytale without magic, but the tale was still magical. And for the hopelessly-romantic like me, there was even a wink of romance enfolded in the tale. Although the author wrapped up the story nicely, I would not mind reentering the world of Hans and Angela again. Jan 23, Angela rated it did not like it Shelves: Well, that was legitimately disappointing.