• Age: 10 to 13
• Grade: 5 to 8

100 years in our future, in a climate-ravaged world, Mordecai Crow continues to search for his long lost family. With his young friend Podd, Crow follows the trail deep into dangerous Luddite territory. There, new allies offer hope for Crow's quest, but that hope is accompanied by grave risks. Not only are their lives in constant danger from Luddite attacks and the treacherous dystopian landscape they must traverse, but their friendship will be strained to breaking point.

Will Crow and Podd be able to unlock the secrets hidden in newly discovered old tech? What mysteries lurk within the fabled Tesla Firewall?

Does Flood Town harbour the answer to Mordecai Crow's quest or a deadly trap?

All will be revealed in Quid, Pro, Crow, the thrilling second book in the Mordecai Crow trilogy.

Multiple award winning illustrator Bill Slavin was born in Belleville, Ontario. His work includes the acclaimed 'Stanley's Party' written by Linda Bailey, 'Who Broke the teapot!' as well as more than 100 award winning children's books.
Among his many honours, Bill has won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award, the Blue Spruce Award, the California Young Reader Medal and the Zena Sutherland Award for Children's Literature. Recently, he has returned to his childhood love of comics and graphic novels, writing and illustrating the graphic novel trilogy Elephants Never Forget, as now the Mordecai Crow trilogy. Quid Pro Crow is Bil's second book with Renegade Arts Entertainment.

Bill Slavin's profile page

Praise for Secrets of Jarrow, book 1 in the Mordecai Crow trilogy

'Brimming with fast paced action and plenty of suspense, Secrets of Jarrow is a nice addition to the post-apocalyptic graphic novel genre. Slavin has taken very real-world issues and shows us what can happen if we do not change our ways.

But, as Slavin himself notes in the foreword, this book is not about climate change; "it is simply a story of one young man's quest, set in the landscape of a collapsing world." Although the storyline follows the typical hero's journey, young adult readers will be captivated by Slavin's dark and moody illustrations. His colour palette of grey, brown, and indigo adds a very eerie quality to the graphic novel which heightens the reader's suspense.

Secrets of Jarrow is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I, for one, cannot wait for book two.'

Canadian Review of Materials - Teresa Iaizzo of the Toronto Public Library

'Suspense, surprise and a stunning visual experience abound in this post-apocalyptic mystery story as humanity strives to rediscover lost history from before 'the Fall'. A hugely impressive work of art from a virtuoso graphic novelist.' - Stephen Biesty, author of the Incredible Cross-Sections series

'The post-apocalyptic whodunnit I didn't know I needed. High-speed storytelling in a well-crafted book.'

Mike Donachie - Toronto Star

'Cli-fi mystery questions our digital dependence, and survival amid decay.Slavin says part of the inspiration for a post-digital world came from a real-life power outage he experienced. Though he saw people pulling together, he says, "I honestly think we would go tribal pretty fast, but I also think like-minded people would find ways to survive and continue in small groups, like the cloistered inhabitants of Jarrow." - David Jón Fuller , Prairie Books Now'The premise made me think of the sci-fi classic: A Canticle for Leibowitz, the post-apocalyptic tale about knowledge lost where monks puzzle over the few treasured remaining texts. Slavin's book is just as clever and cautionary. Secrets of Jarrow is perfectly relevant to our times, with characters scrounging "old tech" from the days before people blithely destroyed hard copies assuming "the cloud" would keep all information safe. The beautifully detailed drawings will appeal to pre-teens but also their parents who will smile at the references to early computers. There's a serious sub-text about GMO suicide seeds and the climate crisis but don't worry, it is a fun tale too!' - Rosemary Waterston goodreads.com