Exclusive interview with Lauren Oliver and a review of her novel about four special kids solving a mystery at a bizarre museum
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera
“The idea for the series came from a series of strange, yellowing postcards I unearthed from a stall at one of Paris’ bouquinistes [booksellers],” says The Shrunken Head author Lauren Oliver. “All of them purporting to show bizarre objects, including a three-legged duckling and an embalmed, fire-breathing salamander. That had once been on display at Mr. Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders.”
Rich in detail that will keep you reading, The Shrunken Head is the first book in the Curiosity House series. A young adult book, I wouldn’t give it to a child under ten as there are murders in the story. The museum in the book features live performances at an Odditorium and a Hall of Worldwide Wonders where bizarre items are on display. The story is filled with quirky characters. The exploration of the odd museum will engage children and adults. The book takes place in the 1930s in New York.
At Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, live and work four orphans with unusual abilities. Pippa is a mentalist. Thomas can squeeze himself into small spaces. Max, a girl, is an amazing knife-thrower. Sam is the world’s strongest boy. The bizarre museum is owned and operated by Mr. Dumfrey. After a shrunken head on display at the exhibit goes missing, there are accidents and murders. The four kids will have to learn to work together to solve the mystery.
Oliver’s “anonymous” co-author of the book is actually her father, a relics collector, true crime writer and professor of American literature and popular culture at Queens College.
“This was my first time collaborating with another author,” says Oliver. “The most surprising thing to me was how easily the collaboration flowed, and how well we worked together. He is not known for his great love of people.” Oliver says her co-author did most of the research, including collecting photos and documentation on New York at that time, especially the location of its subways and hospitals.
“I love the Curiosity House series because it’s a true ensemble book,” says Oliver. “Tom, Pippa, Max, and Sam are all equally the main characters, and they’re joined by a cast of zany and very vivid adult characters who make the world feel very alive. Also, it’s funnier than my other books.”
Besides Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, Oliver wrote The Spindlers, Liesl & Po. Before I Fall and the Delirium series are New York Times and international bestsellers. Before I Fall was purchased for adaptation for the big screen and began shooting November 19th in Vancouver. Directed by Ry Russo Young, it stars Zoey Deutch.
“My life has completely, materially, and unilaterally changed as a result of writing my books,” says Oliver. “It is filled with travel and fan interaction. I get to basically go to work in my pajamas. I’ve met many of my literary heroes, from Jeffrey Eugenides to Lemony Snickett. I’ve toured in places as varied and far-flung as Malaysia, the Philippines, Toronto, and Sydney.”
Oliver is currently working on a screenplay. She’s also working on the sequel to her next YA novel, Replica, that publishes in September of 2016.
Oliver is based in Connecticut and New York, although she spends a lot of time in Los Angeles. She was born in Queens, New York.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, Hardcover by Lauren Oliver & H. C. Chester. Age Range: 8 – 12 years Grade Level: 3 – 7 Series: Curiosity House (Book 1). Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: HarperCollins (September 29, 2015) Language: English. ISBN: 9780062270818 $16.99
