Blackthorn acts unconcerned, but one night he returns to the shop with terrible burns to one side of his body and won't explain what happened. If murderers are targeting apothecaries, Christopher's master, one of the most respected men in the business, seems a likely target. The rumors are worrisome enough, but what really scares Christopher is the idea that something could happen to Blackthorn. Rumors spread of a dark cult, and the king sends a ruthless soldier to investigate. Most appear to have been tortured and left at the death scenes, as if posing a warning to those who see them. Somehow Tom ends up paying the price for Christopher's schemes, but the sturdy baker's son is stolid and faithful.Ĭhristopher's comfortable life changes when apothecaries start turning up dead. That alone makes Christopher lucky most other masters in the city cuff their charges even when they've done nothing wrong.Ĭhristopher has a bright mind and a reckless spirit that his best friend Tom tries - but fails - to keep in check. His parents are dead, and he grew up in an orphanage before being taken in by Benedict Blackthorn, a tall, thin, austere master who works Christopher hard but never mistreats him. Young Christopher Rowe is an apothecary's apprentice in England in 1665. As Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series, said of Sands' book: “Magic, adventure and things that go boom - I love this book!”

Kevin Sands' debut novel, “The Blackthorn Key,” is intended for readers ages 8 to 12, but teens and grown-ups will enjoy it, too. Rowling isn't the only author whose books transcend a youthful audience think “Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “The Maze Runner,” etc. It's more sophisticated and dark, scary sometimes, and it appeals as much to adults as it does to kids. They're like little adults, setting up mobile work stations and drinking lattes at Starbucks. The gizmos they carry around would've seemed magical to those of us born before 1990: cellphones, laptops, tablets and headphones that are a heck of a lot better than the ones that came with the original Walkman. Tweens have it so much better now than the rest of us did. “The Blackthorn Key” by Kevin Sands (Aladdin, 384 pages, in stores Tuesday)

The black thorn key