13 Hangmen

Corriveau offers a fun and earnest tale of Boston history, time travel (of sorts), and dastardly doings that suffers from some inelegant storytelling decisions. Unassuming 13-year-old Tony DiMarco is always in the shadow of his older star athlete brothers. When his late uncle Angelo leaves his Boston house (at 13 Hangmen Court) to Tony (with the requirement that Tony sleep in his uncle’s attic bedroom), the family happily moves in. When Tony’s father is implicated in Uncle Angelo’s death, Tony investigates with help from his uncle (as a 13-year-old boy) and other 13-year-olds who lived in that room in the past. Corriveau (How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life [and a Dog]) ably uses the boys’ tales to weave historical elements into his story, including cameos from Ted Williams and Paul Revere (an afterword discusses the liberties the author took). But the primary tale and its message about diversity often lack subtlety, and the villain (apparent very early on) resorts to a multipage revelation of his scheme, Scooby Doo–style. History fans will still enjoy the tale, but may long for something more nuanced. Ages 8–12. Agent: Al Zuckerman, Writers House. (Apr.)