Second Sight

by Gary Blackwood Narrated by Marc Vietor

Overview

Washington, D.C., 1864: In a city that's weary of war and eager for entertainment, Joseph and his father's mind-reading act has become the toast of the town. Even President Lincoln comes to see Joseph demonstrate his amazing mental powers. It's all an elaborate hoax, of course, but Joseph is enjoying his fame. Then he meets Cassandra, a young girl who really does have second sight-the ability to foretell events. And she's having terrifying visions about the president. Someone is plotting to murder him. But who would believe such an accusation? It's up to Joseph and Cassandra to interpret the visions, expose the conspiracy, and save Lincoln's life!

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Blackwood weaves an absorbing tale of espionage, conspiracy, and political intrigue. Set in Washington, DC, in 1864, the story focuses on Nicholas and Joseph Ehrlich, a father and son who develop a mind-reading act using a secret coded alphabet. They become successful performers who skillfully trick audiences into believing that they have extraordinary powers. Through their show-business career, they become acquainted with John Wilkes Booth and other political activists. Eventually Joseph meets Cassandra Quinn, a girl who seems to have true powers of clairvoyance. Through her "second sight," she senses that something terrible is going to happen to President Lincoln, and Joseph becomes involved with her in trying to prevent a catastrophe. It is at this juncture that Blackwood begins to twist history with some surprising results. This is a well-researched, engrossing story grounded in historical detail. Many true historical figures interact with the fleshed-out fictional characters that move the story along. Overall, the narrator's conversational, candid asides are refreshing and entertaining, but at times they do interrupt the narrative flow. This is a minor drawback in an otherwise gripping tale that could be used as a springboard for some interesting class discussions.-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

More brilliantly re-envisioned history from the author of Year of the Hangman (2002), this time set in brawling, bustling Civil War Washington. Using present tense and authorial interjections delivered in a tone of mystery, Blackwood shepherds readers into the theatrical world, where, after years of hardship, Nicholas Ehrlich and his teenaged son Joseph are enjoying a rapid rise, buoyed by their ingeniously designed new mind-reading act. Understandably dazzled by the public's adulation and the chance to hang out with the renowned likes of John Wilkes Booth, Joseph is nonetheless able to keep his sense of perspective (usually), thanks to his friend Cassandra, a frail orphan who really is gifted with second sight-and whose fragmentary visions of President Lincoln are taking on an increasingly ominous cast. But how to persuade anyone to believe her? The suspense really begins to rev up when Joseph begins catching whiffs of conspiracy from more earthly quarters. Blackwood draws almost exclusively upon historical people and events, sets them in the most vivid evocation of the time and place since Jennifer Armstrong's Dreams of Mairhe Mehan (1999) and caps his mesmerizing thriller with a stunning twist. (Historical fiction. 11-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171878993
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	05/29/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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