Fever Crumb
Set in the future many years from now, London has changed. There are no computers, mobile phone or even cars.
Fourteen-year-old Fever has led a sheltered life so far, but all that is about to change. London is on the brink of war, and Fever holds the key to unlocking a secret that could transform London… and the world!
This fantasy adventure is a prequel to the acclaimed Mortal Engines series, and is sure to appeal to all fans of science fiction.
Publisher: Scholastic
Extract
'Fever was the youngest member of the Order of Engineers, and the only female. Engineers did not have wives or children. But one evening fourteen years before, Dr Crumb had been called out to a dig on the Brick Marsh by an archaeologist named Chigley Unthank who wanted an opinion on some Ancient artefacts which he’d unearthed, and on his way back he had heard crying coming from an old weed-grown pit close to the road. There, among the bramble bushes, he had found a baby in a basket, with an old blanket laid over her and a label tied around her wrist upon which someone had written just four words:
HER NAME IS FEVER.
He had told Fever the story often and often when she was little. (Dr Crumb did not believe in telling lies, not even white lies, not even to little girls. He had not wanted her to grow up thinking she was his.) She knew how he had stood there in the twilight staring down at the baby in the basket and how finally, not knowing what else to do, he had carried her back with him to Godshawk’s Head.
In earlier years he might have taken her to the civic orphanage, but that was the summer of the Skinners’ Riots, and the orphanage had been wrecked and looted,
along with much of the rest of the city. In London’s rougher boroughs, like Limehouse and St Kylie, the skins of murdered Scriven still flapped like speckled flags from poles which the Skinners had set up at street corners. The collection of merchants and lawyers who called themselves the New Council had not yet completely restored order.
Dr Crumb made up a little bed for the foundling in a spare drawer of his plan-chest and fed her watered-down milk through a laboratory pipette. Looking into her eyes, he noticed that they were different colours; the left dark brown, the right soft lichen grey. Was that why she had been abandoned? Had her mother been afraid that her neighbours would take that small oddity for a sign that the child was a Scriven or some other sort of misshape, and kill her? There was a small wound on the back of her head; a thin cut not quite healed. Dr Crumb, who had seen for himself the savagery of the Skinners, imagined some crazed Londoner slashing at her with a knife. . .
The other Engineers, gathering round him to peer at the tiny refugee, had all agreed with him; the child must not go back to live among those savage, superstitious Londoners. She would stay with the Order, in Godshawk’s Head, and Dr Crumb would act as her guardian. Girls had never been admitted to the Order before, since it was well known that female minds were not capable of rational thought. But if little Fever were to be brought up in the ways of the Order from infancy, was there not a chance that she might make a useful Engineer?
So here she lay, fourteen summers later, in the sunshine on the Head’s roof. She had grown into an odd-looking girl, and her clothes made her look odder still. Only someone who had spent fourteen years being told that appearances don’t matter would dress in clothes like those. Big digger’s boots, skinny black trousers, an old grey shirt, a white canvas coat with metal buttons. Then there was her hair, or rather, her lack of hair. The Order were keen to hurry humankind into the future, and they believed that hair was unnecessary. Fever shaved her head every other morning, and had done so for so long that she didn’t remember what colour her hair would be if she were to let it grow. And below the bald dome of her head she had a curious face, with a short, sudden nose and a wide mouth, thick fair eyebrows and, oddest of all, those large eyes that didn’t match. Yet somehow it all worked. It was one of those rare faces which bypassed pretty and went straight to beautiful.
Of course, that would never have occurred to Fever. She attached no importance to her looks. But she was beautiful, all the same, as she lay there watching the city and waiting for the paper boys to dry and idly tracing the raised line of that old scar that she could feel but never see; a slender silvery thread which curved along the base of her skull.'
About the author
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Philip Reeve Photo: © Dominic TurnerPhilip Reeve
Philip Reeve was born and raised in Brighton, where he worked in a bookshop for a number of years while also co-writing, producing and directing a number of no-budget theatre projects. Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons for around 40 children’s books, including the best-selling Horrible Histories,... Read more about Philip Reeve
Video & audio
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Fever Crumb Booked Up video
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Fever Crumb Booked Up video (signed version)
Featured reviews
Reviews
This book has gripped me from start to finish and I haven't read anything else. I wouldn't usually choose this genre but found it a very entertaining book and will be getting the other Mortal Engine books.
I really like the book because it was very interesting, it's about a girl call fever.
I thought this book was really interesting, I couldn't put it down.
I think that fever crumb is a very good book. I would give it 4/5 because it was hard to understand what was happening sometimes. I think the bit when they find Fever was peculiar and how they make paper boys with mechanisms that can not be replaced or fixed with new parts.
I think this was a very enticing book, also very intresting and I love books like this. I would recommend this to all the people that love interesting novels.
Fever Crumb is rollercoaster of a prequel. it has twists as you read through the book and entices you the more you read. It's a great book that most people would like.
This book was very confusing and complicated. We would like to find out more about Fever. She seemed to have a rather interesting past. We noticed everything seemed either irrational or rational to her which we found very amusing. We haven't read a book like this before and could easily read another book by this author.
this book was really good. i think philip reeve is a really good author and i want to read more of his books.
this is a amazing book full of action and adventure. if you are looking for a great and long read fever crumb is the book for you.
I thought that this book was quite good and interesting. My favourite part was when Dr Crumb and Fever get attacked by paper boys, which is funny because it was them who made them. The only bit I didn't like was the start as it was very long-winded, but overall really good!
Fever Crumb is a prequel of the Mortal Engines series. It's set in the future about 100 years before the events of Mortal Engines.The titular character, Fever Crumb is an Engineer and lives with her adopted father in Godshawk's Head, a statue head of the former tyrant ruler of London. She is sent to help an archaeologist uncover secrets about Godshawk's tunnels and lair. As she uncovers more and more about him, she uncovers more and more about how Dr Crumb (her adopted father) found her... I liked this book because I had already read Mortal Engines and I really enjoyed it
It's a very good book because it draws you in even in the blurb! Also I think it is very interesting as it is about a little girl who was found in a bush and was left in a basket! I think this book is good for people in the ages 11-15 because it is a bit hard to follow. But once you have started to read it you will be drawn in! The only thing is that it was a bit hard to follow at the start.This book is about a girl that is found in a bush and is being hunted down as she is a keeper of a extremely big secret you have to read it to find out what it is!
It was very action packed
This book was ok but as I read on it became predictable. I liked the idea of how at the beginning there were sets of character and as the story went on they met but after that it got a bit boring!
It is a good book because i like the front picture and the blurb.
A book so unusual but actually quite great, a girl that shaves her head, scriven that are inventing enthusiasts, loads of people mad forever because of what has happened and inventers - what more could you want?
i don't think it is very fun, it is a bit boring, it is very hard to understand.
This is a gripping tale of a young girl that believes that she's an orphan, but her real father isn't too far away. Take a step into the future with this book. I'd recommend it to anyone.
This book is just outstanding! It is called FEVER CRUMB and is written by Philip Reeve.
This story is about a girl called Fever Crumb and she was abandoned by her mother. The main characters of the book are Dr. Crumb and Fever Crumb. My favourite character of the book is Fever Crumb because she gives the book some humour and different role. She is very interesting and therefore makes the book interesting!
When our english teacher showed us the VIDEO I just knew that i wanted FEVER CRUMB and it was worth it, it really got my attention and I was so into it that I couldn't stop reading it FROM START TILL END...
I particularly liked the part when it was written 'he had found a baby in a basket, with a old blanket laid over her and a label tied around her wrist upon which someone had written just four words: HER NAME IS FEVER.' (pg.6) .
I would recommend this book to people involved IN FANTASY AND ADVENTURE! :)
A brilliant book thats full of twists and turns. I think the fantasy world is amazing as it is so detailed and descriptive even the blurb makes it irrestible. fever crumb has been brought by a group of engineers, when she is taken away to work for another man thingd start to go a bit out of hand. Easy to read if have not read Mortal Engines. Overall a great book and I look out for a sequel!!
Really exhilarating and fun but also quite dark and mysterious. I love the bit when Fever meets her true mother and the bit when Swiney and Quercus have a fight. Some people have great imagination but Philip Reeve's is by far the best. An utterly great read!
fever crumb is amazing. it is a great adventure about a girl called fever crumb.
i think fever crumb is interesting because it makes you want to read it.
Fever Crumb is a book set in the 42nd century AD. Fever Crumb, the book's main character, was brought up by engineers in London and lived like one of them. One day Fever is called to Kit Solent's house and is asked to work for him. She then learns of a huge secret that Kit discoverd beneath London. A secret that will help her discover her past...
Meanwhile, as Fever learns of her past Bagman Creech and Charley Shallow are out to get her. Bagman is a famous mass murderer of Scriven, a mutant race that once ruled London, but were over thrown by its people. At first they are not sure that Fever is a Scriven but gradualy they become convinced of her originsand set out to kill her. In the second part of the book, London is captured by the Normad empires, and Fever, fearing their plans, escapes into a uncertain future.
The main characters are Fever, Dr Crumb and Charley Shallow, they are all quite belivable but Dr Crumb is the least realistic. this is because he thinks emotions are unecessary.
This book is called Fever Crumb and it was written by Philip Reeve. The story is about a girl called Fever Crumb and she was abandond by her mother. But some engineers took her in and it is all about her life. The main characters are Dr Crumb and Fever Crumb. The characters aren't that believable but with the type of book that this is, it makes what it very interesting.
My favourite character is definitely fever crumb because she gives the book a fun and different role.She is very interesting and therefore makes the book interesting.
My favourite part of the book is when Fever gets the chance to go and work for someone else. I liked this part because it made me feel happy for her and it let her do something different. My least favourite part of the book is the part when Fever and Dr Crumb were making the electronic paper boys. I didn't like this bit because it was quite long and repetative.
I would recommend this book to someone who is quite adventurous and a person who is into robots.
If you like being kept up all night by a book both scary and fascinating then fever crumb is for you. Set in the distant future many millenia after a nuclear war nearly destroyed civilisation this book explores this world from the viewpoint of a young engineer: Fever Crumb. The book begins with Fever Crumb happily living with her adoptive father Dr Crumb but her life is about to change. As the story develops we learn that Fever Crumb is not as she seems. Fever Crumb is the first book in the Mortal Engines series and is a great introduction to this author
This story is about a girl called Fever Crumb and she has special powers to remember things, a long set of numbers from when she was only one or two months old. Those numbers and her special powers land her into a life, full of exciting things. Fever Crumb is the main character but Charley Shallow also has a very important part in the book.
brilliant and very interesting
Have you ever wondered what London might be like in the future? Well, if you have, then this is one of the many outcomes. Fever is an abandoned baby, left on the streets by her mother. Or this is what her makeshift father says. Doctor Crumb, a renowned Engineer, takes her to the Engineer home, which is a massive statue of a head, built under the orders of Godshawk, Scriven king and past ruler of London. But little does she know that she harbours a great secret. One that could change London forever. Her life gets flipped upside down when she goes to see Kit Solent, as when she is travelling to his home she is attacked by an angry mob, led by the Skinners. Will she survive against the force of London? What is the Vault? And who is Wavey Godshawk? All will be revealed in the book that lies ahead... Overall, a great read. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a sci-fi book. 5 stars.
I think that Fever Crumb gets you hooked straight away. I think that the first chapter draws you in because it is set many years in the future, in a head building. I thought that was very unusual that Fever is the only girl engineer. A tear came to my eye when I found out she was abandoned as a baby. Fever is now 14 living in London with Dr.Crumb - her guardian. I thought the plot was interesting how Fever holds a secret key that could change London and the whole world. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, adventure and science fiction. Overall I would say this book was an ok book but most of all I liked the last section.
This is a fantastic story and adventure book that will have you hooked for ages. Fever Crumb is an adopted child who lives with some engineers. When she leaves the city of London to work with an architect. But the architect has discovered something sinister and everything takes a turn for the worse.
This book is about an adopted girl called Fever that belongs to the Guild of Engineers. Set centuries in the future, all towns are on wheels and have slaves in the lower tiers and the hierarchy on the higher tiers. She is dispatched to an archaelogist who has discovered a secret tunnel. But what will happen and what will they find in the tunnel? I would recommend this book to confident teenage readers.
This a great book, I've read all the other Mortal Engines books and this is a great prequel.
I haven't read the book yet but i've only read the blurb but it has gripped me and i just want to read from start to finish over and over.
It is a good book but some bits are not goooooood.
This is amazing and I haven't even finished yet I read this a million times.
when i saw this book it caught my eye and it looks fun, my dad likes it too.
I haven’t read anything else by this author and wouldn’t usually try fantasy fiction. But… I think it was really good. I wanted to find out more about Fever Crumb’s past, who was this girl?
I think this book is a real page turner and I would recommend it to boys and girls; anyone who loves a thrill.
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