BOGE-LANDIA

Youthful interdimensional travelers scour a queendom to find their nemesis in this fourth installment of Supplee’s YA series.

Teenager Winnie, her wizard boyfriend, Kip, and her younger stepbrother, Mikey—multiversal travelers—have just returned to Earth from an alternate world. But a time guardian needs them to stop the nefarious wizard Thaddeus Krell, who’s determined to steal a Frama-scope (a device for traveling to other realms). He’s located in Frama-12, now called Boge-Landia, a place the youngsters have already traveled to. Mikey is happy to return; his soul is tied to General Takka, a toad-like “voga” prince who’s currently frozen in a block of ice there, and Mikey/Takka hopes to reunite with his Boge-Landia mother, Queen Bogen, even if he’s in his 6-year-old human “vessel.” The region’s oracle threatens to take away Kip’s magic if he keeps using it, as it interferes with her own search for Krell. But how can Winnie and Kip help track down the fiendish wizard without magic? Winnie also worries about Mikey, since he’ll no longer exist if Takka “decide[s] to reinhabit his original body.” Supplee’s breezy tale doesn’t progress with much urgency; rather than immediately hunt for Krell, the kids visit the queen first and agree to complete her task (finding Mikey/Takka’s missing prince brother). The trio’s relationships are superbly rendered; Winnie truly cares for her brother, and her romance with Kip is still relatively new—a shuffle of minor squabbles and “yummy” kisses. Readers unfamiliar with the preceding entries in the series will initially be lost as they attempt to parse such narrative elements as Mikey’s link with General Takka or the reason behind Kip’s bogus Aussie lilt. These story points eventually make sense, and the growing perils enliven the adventure (someone threatens to thaw Takka’s frozen body, and an apparent attempt to poison the queen’s sons comes to light). The travelers all get the chance to showcase their unique skills.

Engaging heroes headline a diverting fantasy that never takes itself too seriously.