The Necromancer

Gr 7—10—In the fourth book (Delacorte, 2010) of Michael Scott's fantasy series, twins Josh and Sophie Newman are asked to exercise some of their newly awakened magical skills to help stop the nefarious Dr. John Dee from loosing the evil creatures housed on Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco. While the story is fabulous, weaving in characters from history, mythology, and fantasy (Joan of Arc, Niccolò Machiavelli, William Shakespeare, Billy the Kid, etc.), it doesn't really stand alone. The world that Scott has created is tightly woven and extremely complex. The story's action takes place over just a couple of days, but it manages to span countries, times, and dimensions. Paul Boehmer does a brilliant job of performing an overwhelming number of characters, giving each one a distinct voice. An excellent addition for libraries circulating the first three titles. Fans will not be disappointed.—Genevieve Gallagher. Charlottesville High School, VA