When Mr. Socrates, a member of the shadowy Permanent Association, hears of a hunchbacked infant with the ability to transform his appearance, he decides to take him in. Naming him Modo, he raises the boy in isolation, training him to become a secret agent.
When Modo turns fourteen, his training is put to the test. He must first survive in London on his own, then, with the help of beautiful Octavia, he uncovers a sinister plot being carried out in the very sewers beneath London.
Modo's latest mission, to uncover the underwater mystery behind the sinking of several ships, seems impossible. There are rumours of a sea monster or something even more nefarious. An astounding secret in the depths of the ocean.
Talk of ancient Egyptian ruins hidden deep in the Australian rainforest readches Mr Socrates, and immediately he, his faithful servant, Tharpa, and his young agents, Modo and Octavia, leave London. Their destination: far north Queensland. But before they reach the site of the infamous God Face - rumoured to cause madness in anyone who gazes upon it - they are set upon by Miss Hakkandottir and her Clock Guild henchmen. their latest weapons are mechanical birds capable of delivering lethal poison, and they have no hesitation in using them on Modo and Octavia.
The fourth and final book in the multi-award winning series! In his greatest adventure, shape-shifting, masked spy Modo has a much more personal quest: to find his parents before the Clockwork Guild does. There is something in their blood--his blood!--that his enemies want to use to create an unstoppable army.
Junior Library Guild Selection
Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year: honour book
Canadian Library Association Children's Book of the Year: nomination
"A thrilling tale of an unusual and talented young man."Publisher's Weekly
"A full-steam-ahead spy thriller, complete with derring-do, a dastardly villain, and a suitably complex plot."Quill & Quire starred review
In Canada: Chapters.ca,
Amazon.ca,
McNally Robinson,
U of S
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