The Corpse Queen

Gr 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old orphan Molly Green’s bleak life is altered when her best friend dies and she is suddenly claimed by an unknown aunt. In order to live with her wealthy Aunt Ava in her gothic mansion, Molly must work for her aunt’s business: illegally collecting cadavers for Dr. LaValle’s anatomy lessons. Dr. LaValle, emphasizing human oddities, uses the bodies to teach his medical students. Molly agrees to collect bodies but soon finds out that there is a killer on the loose, the Knifeman. She seeks to discover the Knifeman’s identity while spending her nights robbing graves. Will she find the killer before the killer finds her? Set in 1850s Philadelphia, this macabre novel is full of death, corpses, and anomalies. It highlights the dark practice of body snatching that was historically used to study anatomy. The writing is fast paced and highlights Molly and her aunt as independent feminists. The dark plot flows well with a surprise ending, keeping readers intrigued.