A strong sequel that deepens the danger and heightens the tension.
A Swedish girl continues to grapple with supernatural forces in the second installment of the Whispering Sea Mysteries series.
This entry picks up several months after the first book ended. The previous fall, Tuva defeated the sea serpents threatening the Stockholm archipelago. She’s just spent spring break hanging around the house alone, because her friend Rasmus inexplicably ghosted her. As school resumes, Tuva, who’s still wrestling with her discovery that she’s neither human nor her parents’ biological child but rather the last of the ancient merfolk, now must contend with an unemployed father who’s slipping into alcoholism, a mother who seems to be rejecting her, a best friend who’s avoiding her, and a strangely stubborn fog that won’t let spring come to the archipelago. When the mysterious fog attempts to drown her classmate and his mother, Tuva realizes that a new—and far more malevolent—presence has entered the war between humanity and nature in the Baltic Sea. As this new threat turns increasingly active and lethal, Tuva has to learn more about her innate abilities and the network of secret allies among her island neighbors. This translated work from Sweden seamlessly continues the storyline from the first book. Readers will immerse themselves in the familiar world and atmospheric writing style, even as the stakes rise, the struggle escalates, and more than ever is required of Tuva.
A strong sequel that deepens the danger and heightens the tension. (environmental tips, Baltic Sea facts) (Fantasy thriller. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781662532870
Page Count: 398
Publisher: Amazon Crossing Kids
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.
Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series.
Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.—one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. Despite being well-stocked with scream-worthy ghastlies, this lively opener makes a light alternative for readers who find the likes of Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series too grim and creepy for comfort.
A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls. (Ghost adventure. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series.
An orphaned street urchin is recruited into an elite school for thieves.
In an alternate world where France is the dominant world power, 13-year-old Tom Morgan has had to scrimp, starve, and steal on the streets of London to survive. Born into a workhouse, he doesn’t know anything about his father, while his mother may have been from North Africa. One thing he does know is the sort of cruelty that awaits the poor who are sent to the workhouse, and he’s determined not to go back. But when their camp is raided and his friends are captured by workhouse agents, the only thing Tom can think of is how to get them out. Enter the Corsair, a cunning and mysterious man with a proposition: He wants to recruit Tom into Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts. From nabbing treasures to forging identity papers, Beaufort’s promises to teach Tom everything he needs to know to become a Shadow Thief and a member of the Shadow League, the secret global organization that helps keep the world’s political power in balance. But Beaufort’s has its own rules and secrets, and if Tom is to survive long enough to help his friends, he’ll need to figure them out quickly. Clever and gripping, this fast-paced boarding school story will appeal to fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society and Spy School series.
A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series. (Adventure. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781665982283
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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