Darwen Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck

Gr 4–7—The kids from Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact (Penguin, 2011) are back in another heart-stopping adventure. It's now winter in Atlanta, and Darwen is dreading his first Christmas since the death of his parents. He perks up when a familiar face joins the faculty at Hillside Academy; Mr. Peregrine is now his world-studies teacher. He sends Darwen a portal that the youngster travels through into a junglelike place where he witnesses the abduction of a boy by a horrific creature, the Insidious Bleck. Mr. Peregrine arranges for Darwen's entire sixth-grade class to travel to Costa Rica in order for him to find out how the Insidious Bleck is entering our world, and to close the breach. They encounter rainforest wonders and terrible danger. The inhabitants of the rainforest are losing their children, and Darwen is determined to put a stop to that. Along the way, he finds out that he can't always trust what, and whom, he sees. The story is gripping and fast paced, and readers will cheer for Darwen and his friends as they discover who is behind the evil events, and Darwen discovers the meaning of home and family. Each chapter opens with an appealing, imaginative illustration.—Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NC