The Unsinkable Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon

Gr 5–8—In The Unsinkable Walker Bean, Walker was stranded on a mysterious archipelago, and though he made strong friends in Shiv and Genoa aboard the pirate ship Jacklight, he had more questions than answers ahead of him. Six months after they arrived on the island, the Jacklight is slowly being rebuilt, the crew are finding a way to function without their now-deceased captain, and Genoa sleeps through the day, haunted by the events of the first entry. As things start to look up for Walker and his friends, he discovers not one but two sets of strange ruins on the island, and Genoa is drawn to the mystery of Atlantis. Renier continues his deftly plotted, deliciously illustrated epic. This second volume leans more into mystery; this journey sees him unraveling more complex riddles. Readers unfamiliar with the first installment will be lost, despite the brief recap at the beginning. The artwork often suggests a levity that the story line does not follow; the dense plot and genuinely worrisome challenges facing Walker will deter very young readers drawn in by the bright colors and gorgeous scenery.