Star of Stone

Gr 5—7—The four children who must save the world—Eletrra, Mistral, Sheng, and Harvey—are reunited in P. D. Baccalario's second book (2010) of the Century Quartet series. This time their quest brings them together in New York City. The murdered professor who started them on their danger-filled journey has left a series of post-cards behind as clues that lead the children through the New York City library, into abandoned transit tunnels, down dark streets, and into the arms of the unscrupulous criminals trying to stop them. Carrington MacDuffie does a superb job of pacing and giving an easily distinguishable voice to each child in this suspense-filled tale with almost non-stop action. While tension rules the story, MacDuffie's vocals are just as impressive in capturing the few quiet moments that break up the action, including the budding romance between two of the young heroes and Harvey's struggles to deal with the loss of a brother. Fans of Ring of Fire (2009, both Random) will enjoy this action-packed story.—Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT