Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head audiobook

**I FINISHED THIS IN FEBRUARY.** This gave me a Series of Unfortunate Events meets American Horror Story: Freakshow vibe and I loved every freaking moment of it. This book is so full of dark humor that it almost busts out through the seams. It's dark, hilarious, heart-warming, whimsical, heart-breaking, and bubbling with with mystery. Don't go into this book expecting a cute Middle-Grade read because you'll be incredibly disappointed. It's not cute at all, it's 10x better than that. I loved all of the characters, even the bad ones and look forward to seeing what comes their way in the sequel coming in May. I loved Pippa mostly, she seemed like the head of the group and kept things going so they could solve this insane mystery. That's another thing I loved was the mystery in this book, it definitely gives off a bit of a vintage Nancy Drew vibe too. I'm usually very good at telling who the killer is at the end of mysteries and in this one, I didn't really see it coming. I loved that I didn't see it coming either, it made the story much more fun. I will talk more about it in my February Wrap Up video on my channel soon but if you're looking for something, dark, funny, mysterious, and full of adventure, I'd say snatch this up ASAP. Again, I can't wait for the sequel in May. :D

Lauren Oliver, best known for her children’s book Liesl & Po and her adult novel Rooms, shows that she’s not bound by age or genre with The Shrunken Head, a middle-grades novel that will appeal as much to adults as children. In New York City in the depths of the Great Depression, orphans Philippa “Pippa” Devue, Thomas Able, and Sam Fort have lived nearly their entirely lives at Dumphrey’s Dime Museum (a Ripley’s Believe It or Not-style museum combined with circus acts) under the watchful eye of the kindly owner Mr. Dumphrey. Each has a special, if offbeat, power: Pippa can visualize whatever anyone has in their pockets, Thomas is as flexible as any India-rubber man, and Sam has Superman-level strength. The trio are joined by a fourth orphan, a girl named Mackenzie (a.k.a. “Max”) who can throw knives with perfect precision. When Mr. Dumphrey picks up an allegedly cursed shrunken head, the head gets stolen and people begin to die. Despite Mr. Dumphrey’s warning not to get involved, the children do. What results are loads of suspense and a well-paced mystery that will keep you guessing until the penultimate chapter. Of course, comparisons with Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society are inevitable; in both books, extremely gifted children living in an unusual place with a benevolent mentor face a world-class criminal. Still, I enjoyed The Shrunken Head, and I especially appreciated Pippa for her honesty, good heart, and good sense.While Oliver does keep her promise that The Shrunken Head is not “[a] sweet, gooey story for nice little girls and boys,” her book does provide a much-needed message that being different doesn’t mean being a freak or inferior and that working together is how most problems are solved. Lastly, I especially enjoyed reading this book in a Buddy Read with my Great Escape sister, Randee, which made the experience that much better.

Actual Rating: 3.5/4 I wouldn't have picked this series up if I hadn't bought the second book in this series back in February because the cover looked beautiful. Sigh. But, The Shrunken Head was surprisingly enjoyable. It was very easy to read and follow and thank goodness for that because dehydration makes you temporarily stupid and drowsy.Pippa, Sam, Thomas and Max are four orphans with extraordinary abilities who are part of a museum in New York. The Museum allegedly exhibits oddities and wonders from all over the world and also houses a group of performers, the children included. Dumfrey's Dime Museum is the last of its kind and sorely lacking on the business side of things until one day when the museum exhibits its latest item: the Shrunken Head (of blah-b-d-blah).-It took me a while to figure it out but the setting is not in modern day New York. It was a little frustrating that it wasn't explicitly stated. -Things come together quite nicely at the end but I wasn't totally blown off my feet.-I still have no idea Dumfrey recognized Max instantly after seeing her for the first time ever. That's the only loose end I found, the rest wrapped up.-I saw that one about the scientist coming.-The illustrations very really good and so was the cover.It's a good book, one you aren't too concerned about figuring out and can just sit back and relax with.

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato This book honestly just wins. The Shrunken Head is one of the best middle grade novels I’ve read in a while and I barely even knew what it was about before diving in. I just saw the pretty cover and that it was by an author whose name I was familiar with so I decided to give it a shot. This book was 1000% worth it.The Shrunken head is EVERYTHING. This book combines the supernatural, with a historical setting, throws in a little bit of mystery AND also goes on to explore the awkwardness of being a preteen who is starting to go through puberty. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?This book is a very quick read (even at 360 pages) and you will be flipping pages, BELIEVE ME. You will want to see these kids get down to the bottom of the mystery. You will be cheering them on and you will want to punch all the assholes who refer to them as freaks.Phillipa, Sam, Thomas and Max are children with special abilities. Phillipa can read minds (kind of), Sam is super strong (and tends to break a lot of things as a result), Thomas can bend his body into various shapes and fit anywhere and Max possesses epic skills with knives. When the only home they all have ever known is in danger, they decide to get down to the bottom of this mystery and find out who is causing the deaths.The mystery aspects of this book were fantastically done but one of my favorite things was how the 1930s setting was weaved into the book. Oliver doesn’t focus too much on the time period but there are little details that make it evident that the book is set in a time around the great depression. The time period is not forgotten but introduced into the story in little ways that make it all the more interesting.ALSO the illustrations in this book are GORGEOUS.I’d definitely recommend this book to readers who love a little bit of magic and mystery. This is a fun read that won’t fail to charm your socks off.Note that I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Reseña completa próximamente en Accio Libros y en el Wrap Up de Junio en mi canal

Ternyata baca buku anak-anak itu seru juga 😂 awalnya ragu, tapi karena ingat Lockwood & Co juga sebenarnya buku anak-anak, dan itu seru, akhirnya kucoba baca buku ini. Niatnya beli 1 dulu, eh malah kepo kan sama 2 jilid selanjutnya 😂Buku berkisah tentang anak-anak luar biasa dari Museum aneh tapi nyata Dumfrey. Ada Thomas di lentur yang genius, Pippa si mentalis yang sedikit pendiam, Sam si kuat yang hobi minta maaf, dan Max si pelempar jitu yang kasar. Awal masalah ketika salah satu artefak andalan mereka "Kepala Mengerut" dicuri. Berikutnya semakin mencekam karena orang-orang yang pernah melihat kepala itu malah dibunuhi. Aku suka bagaimana mereka mengejar kebenaran dengan cara yang sangat anak-anak. Beberapa bikin aku mengerut "Lah kok mereka malah gitu sih? Ih, bodoh banget kenapa malah bilang gitu?", terus aku ingat kalo mereka memang masih anak-anak, dan itu jadi masuk akal. Ada yang sedikit membingungkan. Awalnya terasa ada bau-bau percikan love story (tapi tipiiiiss banget karena ini buku anak-anak, ingat?) antara Sam dan Pippa. Seenggaknya, Sam kayak punya perasaan aneh ke Pippa. Nah, tapi kayak ujug-ujug aja, Sam malah digambarkan punya perasaan khusus ke Max, dan sebaliknya. Apa perasaan anak-anak memang semudah itu berubah, ya? 🤔Aku punya tebakan pelaku di awal. Tebakanku ini, ada salahnya dan ada benarnya 😂 maksudnya, tebakanku benar, tapi ternyata dia cuma pion dari penjahat yang sebenarnya. Wkwkw macam.dapat plot twist dari intrik-intrik politik.Intinya sih, buku ini seru. Nggak sabar nunggu 2 jilid lainnya.

Great character. Great mystery. Great book.

"Kita orang aneh dari Museum Aneh tapi Nyata Dumfrey, kan? Artinya, kita istimewa." (hlm. 143).Jadi, Museum Aneh tapi Nyata Dumfrey ini adalah sebuah museum pada umumnya yang menyimpan koleksi benda-benda bersejarah. Namun, sesuai dengan namanya, benda-benda yg ada di museum ini memang aneh, termasuk salah satu benda terbarunya yaitu Kepala Mengerut dari Amazon. Selain itu, Museum ini jg menampilkan pertunjukkan dari orang-orang yg unik (a.ka "aneh" dlm hal fisik & kemampuan). Perpaduan antara sulap dan sirkus..Tak hanya berfantasi membayangkan Museum Aneh tapi Nyata Dumfrey ini, ternyata buku ini juga mengajak pembacanya untuk menyelidiki sebuah kasus yaitu hilangnya Kepala Mengerut. Yang membuatnya semakin seram, Kepala Mengerut tersebut membawa kutukan 😨.Membaca buku ini mengingatkanku pada penyelidikan lima sekawannya Enid Bylton, penyelidikan detektif ala anak-anak. Karna di buku ini yg menyelidiki kasusnya adl empat anak penghuni Museum Dumfrey yaitu Thomas, Philippa, Sam & Max. Yang membuatnya berbeda adl kemampuan "unik" yg dimiliki oleh mereka (Aku bayangin "Fantastic Four" deh 😅😅 hehe). Nah, dengan keunikan keempat tokohnya ini mengajarkan bahwa jgn mengganggap remeh orang-orang yg "unik"..Yang membuat buku ini semakin menegangkan dan horor, adalah di setiap mereka mengarah ke salah satu "suspect" akan berakhir pada kematian suspect tersebut. Jadi, selalu buntu. Serem kan? 😨.Baru kali ini aku membaca "children book" yg kumplit, ada fantasi, misteri, detektif, dan horor. Aku nggak tahu sih gimana pengaruhnya bagi pembaca yg masih anak-anak, tapi bagiku buku ini membawa pengalaman yg berbeda dan AKU SANGAT SUKA 😍😍 Yang menjadikan buku ini salah satu book children favoritku.

This was so much fun! It was kinda dark and murder-y for a middle grade but that made it different from a lot of other middle grades. The mystery even kept me guessing and I freaking loved the "you make family" sentiment of the cast. I can't believe I got the whole series on Book Outlet for under $10 CAD! So freaking worth it!

Let it be known that I can't resist a middle grade book at the best of times, but if it's by Lauren Oliver there's no question it will end up on my reading list! She charmed me with Liesl & Po, made me shiver with The Spindlers, and left no doubt in my mind that I'd pick up any middle grade book she puts forth. There are certain authors who just understand what a book for this age group needs. A pinch of madness, a few drops of magic, some interesting history, and the type of characters who steal your heart before you even know it's gone. This book is all of that, and it's wonderful. Charming, is probably the best word to describe Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head. Honestly, it's hard not to smile as you read the first few pages. Pippa, Sam, Thomas and Max are quite the cast of characters. Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders is a setting all its own. Add in a smattering of 1930's history, and you have the perfect stage for a wonderful story. I'll warn you now that this story is a bit on the darker side. Think Lemony Snicket. Bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people, and sometimes it's a little gruesome. Still, at the end of the day we all know how things wrap up. These are my favorite kinds of stories. The kind that doesn't shy away from the darker parts of life, but embraces them as truth. Am I rambling? Probably! I don't want to spoil anything, because this book is just so much fun! The mystery is probably the best part of this whole package. As if our plucky and talented young characters weren't amazing enough on their own, this story pits them against one heck of a mystery. When the prized possession of Dumfrey's goes missing, and all the people involved start to die in mysterious ways, what do you do? If you're Pippa, Sam, Thomas and Max you set off on an adventure to figure out what's going on. Possibly putting yourself in mortal danger at the same time. This is a great story. Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head is completely charming from the writing on the page, to the stunning illustrations, and it will definitely make you want to come back for more. What are you waiting for? Go add this to your reading list. It's definitely worth your time.

Yang dibaca yang mana dulu, yang selesai yang mana dulu...Thomas, Pippa, dan Sam sudah lama tinggal bersama Mr. Dumfrey yang mengelola Museum Aneh Tapi Nyata Dumfrey. Mereka bertiga termasuk penampil di museum itu. Thomas yang lentur, Pippa yang bisa membaca pikiran, dan Sam yang sangat kuat. Sampai suatu hari datanglah Max yang sebaya dengan mereka yang ahli melempar pisau.Atraksi baru di museum itu adalah sebuah kepala mengerut. Namun, sejak pertama dipamerkan, kepala itu sudah memakan korban. Sampai pada suatu malam, kepala itu hilang. Korban-korban pun berjatuhan yang konon diakibatkan oleh kutukan kepala itu.Mampukah Thomas, Pippa, Sam, dan Max memecahkan misteri kepala mengerut itu?Bagusss ceritanya... Seru juga mengikuti perjalanan keempat anak ini dalam memecahkan misteri kepala mengerut. Tapi mungkin karena baru buku satu, jadi kemampuan mereka belum diceritakan mendalam, terutama Pippa. Pengen tahu lebih banyak lagi kemampuan yang dimiliki Pippa. Bacaan yang ringan namun tidak membosankan bagi penyuka genre children's fantasy.

4.5/5I really dug this book! It has a great cast of characters and the growing relationships between them. Max, Pippa, Sam, and Thomas... I loved them all. I wish the novel was longer and we had more down time with the characters. The story arc and mystery was interesting till the very end. It was fun and nerve racking. The setting is whimsical and dark and speaks to me. I recommend this if you love middle grade, freak shows (or just the AHS show), who dun it's, and just amazing novels honestly. Read it!

House of curiosity, freaky entertainers, weird museum, wonders of the world, four misfits, murder mystery, and.. most of all, new york city. Why not to love about this book? Lauren Oliver, as usual, delivered the story nicely, with lots of interesting details that she actually got from the real famous collector, HC Chester. Plus, the illustrations are cute!!! I can't wait for the next book of the series!!