FINDERS CREEPERS

The Family Fetch thrives on adventure, but this may be their biggest one yet.

The Fetch twins—rambunctious, athletic Esmeralda and bookish, cautious Atticus—run a pet-finding service with a “ninety-nine percent success rate.” The only thing standing between them and 100% is the shadow of their own dog, Dunnsworth, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances many years ago. The preternaturally responsible twins are left to their own devices most of the time, as their parents (an archaeologist and a deep-sea explorer) gallivant off on their own adventures. Cleaning the basement one day, the twins discover an ancient lost-dog flyer put up by a family completely unknown to them—and in trying to unravel the mystery, they’re drawn into a world of magic and monsters beyond anything they could have ever imagined. Fridolfs’ prose is simple but formal, giving the narrative a timeless air. The story effectively combines collaged images, graphic-novel sequences, and traditional prose. Nguyen’s monochrome illustrations are charmingly quirky, pets and settings depicted with photographic realism alongside balloon-headed people. The story proceeds at a leisurely clip but tries to fit too many plot threads into too short a space; the latter half of the story, which incorporates the fantasy world, is not explained, leaving readers feeling as lost as the twins when thrown into that world.

Quirkily tantalizing but begging for a sequel.