The End of the World Club

Gr 4—6—In this sequel to Middleworld (Smith & Sons, 2007), 14-year-old Max and his friend Lola are on another quest to save his parents from Ah Pukuh and the Maya Lords of Death. This time they have to go to Spain to retrieve the Jaguar Stone from his ancestor's castle and return it to Xibalba, the Maya underworld. On his return from the castle, Max discovers that Lola has been abducted by Count Antonio de Landa, who is working with the Death Lords. Max and the two Howler monkeys that are possessed by the spirits of Maya royalty, Lord 6-Dog and Lady Coco, set out to save Lola from marrying Landa and retrieve the precious stone that was taken by Ah Pukuh. The authors use Maya mythology and terms and add interesting facts about Spain and Spanish culture. This is a fast-paced book, and the action starts right away. There are so many holes and contrivances in the plot, however, that make this story hard to believe, even for fantasy.—Erik Carlson, New York Public Library