When four 12-year-olds, all born on February 29th, meet by coincidence in an Italian hotel, readers should expect mayhem to ensue—and they won’t be disappointed. The four—Italian Elettra, American Harvey, Chinese Sheng and French Mistral—meet an obviously frightened older man who passes them a briefcase, begs them to keep it safe and hurries off, leaving the kids to chase around Rome looking for a mysterious artifact called the Ring of Fire. In this first of a planned four-book series, plot rules all and shortcuts abound. Characters rarely rise above type while genre tropes propel the story. However, the plot is masterful, with cliffhangers galore, a fair amount of violence and an ending that both satisfies and whets the appetite for more. The full-color insert bound into the center of the book is terrific: Maps, photos, drawings and reproductions set the scene and help readers to visualize the plot. Give this book to Horowitz readers and fans of Michael Scott’s The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and prepare for another onslaught of readers. (Adventure. 11-14)
