THE BOY LOST IN THE MAZE
From the UK Children’s Laureate comes a spellbinding YA novel in verse blending the ancient myth of Theseus and the Minotaur with the quest of a modern-day teen in search of his father.
Theo, a seventeen-year-old London schoolboy with a single mother, is desperate to track down the father who left them, whom he scarcely remembers. At school he discovers Greek mythology and the ancient story of Theseus, a fatherless son driven on a similar search. As Theo focuses on Theseus in a series of poems he composes, it becomes clear the two journeys echo each other in uncanny ways.
From the UK Children’s Laureate comes a spellbinding YA novel in verse blending the ancient myth of Theseus and the Minotaur with the quest of a modern-day teen in search of his father.
Theo, a seventeen-year-old London schoolboy with a single mother, is desperate to track down the father who left them, whom he scarcely remembers. At school he discovers Greek mythology and the ancient story of Theseus, a fatherless son driven on a similar search. As Theo focuses on Theseus in a series of poems he composes, it becomes clear the two journeys echo each other in uncanny ways. Theseus must conquer his enemies–a psycho Cyclops, a tree-bending murderer, a monstrous pig–while Theo is tricked and double-crossed, confronting obstacles ranging from a search-agency scam artist to a depraved lawyer. Poet Joseph Coelho brilliantly interweaves the boys’ stories, following them through dangers, horrors, and false successes, revealing that Theo must be as resourceful and strong as his mythical hero. In a unique twist, readers are asked to take a role in picking which option the heroes should pursue when facing choices on their path to manhood. The two alternating stories, along with stories from the Minotaur’s perspective, fuse into one in a riveting climax, as the protagonists meet in the heart of the labyrinth.
- Candlewick Press
- Hardcover
- March 2024
- 320 Pages
- 9781536236415
Buy the Book
$19.99
About Joseph Coelho & Kate Milner
Joseph Coelho, an award-winning poet, playwright, and author of picture books and nonfiction, was selected as the UK Children’s Laureate in 2022. His books include Werewolf Club Rules; Overheard in a Tower Block; The Girl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems, which was short-listed for a Carnegie Medal; and Ten-Word Tiny Tales. He has also written picture books such as Luna Loves Library Day and If All the World Were. Joseph Coelho works regularly as a performance poet, and his plays for young people have been performed by various British theater groups. A staunch ambassador for libraries and for diverse and inclusive new voices in poetry, Joseph Coelho lives in Kent, England.
Kate Milner is the author-illustrator of the award-winning My Name Is Not Refugee and It’s a No-Money Day, which was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is also the illustrator of Joseph Coelho’s Overheard in a Tower Block and The Girl Who Became a Tree: A Story Told in Poems. Her illustrations and prints have been shown in London galleries and national touring exhibitions. A former librarian, she lives in Bedfordshire, England.
Praise
“Previous collaborators Coelho and Milner (The Girl Who Became a Tree) offer a vulnerable, nuanced look at masculinity via a teenager’s search for his father paralleled with the Greek myth of Theseus. . . Coelho presents an insightful, multidimensional interpretation of a millennia-old myth.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The language is beautifully wrought. . . Besides being gorgeously realized, the story gets high marks for originality, which is high praise, indeed.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Coehlo expertly uses poetic form here to straightforwardly connect the two heroes’ quests while cannily exposing the fits and starts of Theo’s growth. . . . The interludes that focus on the minotaur feel the most raw and authentic, with deeply felt contemplations on manhood, fathers, and what it feels like to be truly loved for who you are. An additional layer of complexity is offered by the occasional unique use of a “choose-your-own-adventure” style. . . a powerful, skillful poetic novel.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“Written in verse with nods to the classic Choose Your Own Adventure genre, this clever, well-paced novel leans into its interwoven format. . . . The tale of the Minotaur is relayed in a particularly refreshing and poignant way. Milner’s moving ink illustrations bolster an already vivid story. Thoughtful and well executed.” —Kirkus Reviews
Excerpt
THE ORACLE
Time moves in spirals;
We are flotsam on Time’s sea.
Time moves in spirals
And repeats its tragedies.
This story is about two boys,
Separated by centuries,
Parted by myth,
Divided by reality.
Two boys hoping to be men.
Two boys severed from their fathers.
Two boys searching a maze of manhood.
One in ancient Greece
From a time of magic and mythos.
One in modern London, a city of delusion and gloss.
I am the Oracle,
Your thread through this maze
As two boys start their journeys.
No step will escape my gaze.
Let me hold your hand
Through these dark and winding lands.
Let us discover together what it means to be a man.
Chapter 1: Theo
THEO FIRST HEARS OF THESEUS
I’m doodling again,
Geometric patterns and swirls.
Mr. Addo doesn’t mind.
He lets me doodle—
Knows it helps me think.
Mr. Addo is silent again. He does this thing
When he forgets words—
Presses thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and massages, as if a memory is a small furry thing behind the eyes that needs coaxing.
He massages and ignores our word offerings
Until memory squeals to his stroking.
“Manhood—Theseus’s story
Is about manhood—
About fathers and sons,
About nature and nurture
About legacy and destiny,
About parents and their children
And what it means to be a man.”
I nearly say something
Before remembering
The happy-family kids around me—
The two-parent kids,
Big-house-in-Putney kids,
Been-on-a-plane kids,
Have-the-full-Sky-package kids.
I rest my head back on my arms
And listen to Mr. Addow tell Theseus’s story.
I scratch a poem title
Into my book…
Theseus Killed Them!