13 Hangmen by Art Corriveau

Corriveau, A. (2012). 13 Hangmen. New York, NY: Amulet Books.           

Great Fun, Interesting Premise

ABRAMS Books

In 13 Hangman, Tony is approaching his thirteenth birthday when his parents receive the news that Tony inherited his uncle's house in Boston. Though Zio Anthony visited the family at Thanksgiving, they have never been close, but the will stipulates that the family must to move to Boston and Tony has to live in the attic bedroom. Since Tonys twin brother drive him crazy, he is thrilled with the promise of his own room. However, when they arrive, immidiately problems pop up beginning with the next-door 

neighbor accusing Tony's dad, Michael, of murdering Zio Anthony. When long dead thirteen year olds begin showing up in Tony's bedroom, it only takes him a little while to to begin putting the mystery together, and save his family. 

This book is well thought out, amazingly linked to history, and just great fun to read.  The main character is a chunky nerd constantly on the receiving end of his brothers' ridicule. Like many kids today, he lives more in the virtual word, than the real world, but the move pushes him to make decisions and choices that he wouldn't have otherwise made, giving him power that all preteens yearn for and can relate to.  The connections to history add depth for the history buff and might hook some others. This is an excellent addition to the middle school crowd that doesn't include vampires or witches.  It could even be used as part of a lesson to research the fiction/non-fiction elements of the story. 

Received Galley from NetGalley.com