Lincoln's Grave Robbers (Scholastic Focus)

A true crime thriller -- the first book for teens to tell the nearly unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln's body

The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd --and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.

Author: Steve Sheinkin
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 01/01/2013
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780545405720
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.6
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 156059 / Lincoln's Grave Robbers


Award: Parents Choice Awards (Spring) (2008-Up) - Silver Medal Winner
Award: Texas Lone Star Reading List - Commended
Award: Beehive Awards - Nominee
Award: Sasquatch Award - Nominee
Award: Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens - Recommended
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Alabama Camellia Award - Nominee
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Nominee
Award: Georgia Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2012
Publishers Weekly 11/19/2012 pg. 59
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2013 pg. 262
Shelf Awareness 01/04/2013
School Library Journal 01/01/2013 pg. 134
Booklist 01/01/2013 pg. 84
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2013 pg. 108
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2013 - Recommended - Better Than Most
PW Best Children's Books 11/11/2013 pg. 30
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2013 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Steve Sheinkin is the critically acclaimed author of National Book Award Finalist and Sibert Medal winner Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon; Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction; and National Book Award Finalist The Port Chicago 50. He resides in Saratoga Springs, New York.