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The Penalty

Mal Peet author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Walker Books Ltd

Published:7th Apr '16

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The Penalty cover

Football, corruption and dark secrets collide in the thrilling sequel to the award-winning Keeper by Carnegie Medal-winning author Mal Peet.

In the second of the Paul Faustino novels by Carnegie Medal-winning author Mal Peet, teenage football prodigy El Brujito, "the Little Magician", has vanished without a trace and Paul finds himself reluctantly drawn into the mystery. As the city of San Juan pulses to summer's sluggish beat, Paul gets more than he bargained for as a story of corruption and murder unfolds, forcing him to confront a bitter history of slavery and the power of the occult.

"Glorious, cartwheeling, magical, frightening" * Frank Cottrell Boyce, The Guardian *
"Irresistible... A tale of murder, corruption, cruelty, faith and redemption with a light dusting of football... Impossible to put down." * TES *
[...] intriguing undertones of black magic and some surprising twists. * Daily Telegraph *
"The Penalty weaves together slavery, tribal magic and themes of modern-day corruption... Notable for its exceptional humanity, stylistic clarity and neat construction." * The Sunday Times *
"Cogently constructed and elegantly written, this latest novel is teenage fiction at its best." * The Guardian *
"A heady mix of slavery, football and the occult, this is another intoxicating read from an author who has proved himself an outstanding talent." * Publishing News *
"Another superb read from a master storyteller." * The Bookseller *

  • Short-listed for BookTrust Teenage Prize 2007 (UK)
  • Short-listed for North East Teen Book Award 2007 (UK)

ISBN: 9781406370577

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 16mm

Weight: 193g

272 pages