"So, can you come and get your stuff, or do you want me to ship it to you . . . somewhere?" The broken lyrics in my mind played on repeat. I couldn't even fumble my way through a logical sequence of words or phrases-many of which had saved me in the past. I went with the old stand-by: "I love you." The moment the last syllable was uttered, the scorn on her face vanished and melted into pity. I had lost love once more, and I didn't know if I would ever recover. Brian "Bezo" Palazzo had nothing left in his life, except the hope that he would find himself in a sleepy London commuter town. While...

KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: "An urchin, a prince and the prince's guards protect Victorian England from a threat to its monarchy in this debut novel. In a small village in 1851, there are no parents, having been forced to abandon their children by order of the Queen. Jack, the oldest of the children, takes it upon himself to travel to London in search of his father, a metallurgist, like many of the village's missing residents. The boy's simple journey to the heart of England becomes a grand adventure, as he eventually must make his way on foot and with no money. Along the way, Jack befriends a...