City of Death

Gr 5–8—If ever a book cried out to be made into a theme-park attraction, it's this one. It moves at a lightening pace and is filled with thrills, chills, a deity or two, seemingly indestructible enemies, magic, mayhem, and surprises around every turn. The heroes have come to Asia to stop the archvillain Roland and the evil dragon Badik from collecting the last of the magical artifacts needed to destroy the world. Scirye is coming back to a home she barely remembers. The good thing is that she is reunited with her parents. The bad thing is that the entire group, including the newest members of the gang-brave but inept teenage magician Maka and her lynx, Tute-are thrust into the middle of nasty royal intrigue. The tender yet sometimes tense familial relationship between Bayang and Leech (and Lee No Cha) continues to evolve; Koko is as amusingly self-involved and smart-alecky as ever; and Scirye proves herself to be intelligent, resourceful, often foolhardy, but indeed heroic, much to her own, though no one else's, surprise. There is a fair amount of violence, but an ultimately happy ending. Fans of the first two books will not be disappointed, and newcomers will have only a little trouble catching up (and will want to read the first two books anyway).—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library