A sturdy case.
Seventh grader Elizabeth Webster handles another legal matter.
After defeating the demon Redwing in a court of law, young Elizabeth expected her life to settle down for a little bit, but the law never sleeps! Balancing homework, friends, and her job at her father’s legal firm, Webster & Spawn: Attorneys for the Damned, is tricky enough even before a ghostly mother wails for Elizabeth to protect her long-lost son, Keir McGoogan. The case should be simple enough: Free Keir from his supernatural pact and reunite mother and son. But while Keir’s case gets held up in the courts, Keir must stay with Elizabeth and attend middle school with her. Will Keir’s peculiar behavior expose Elizabeth’s double life? Will Elizabeth be able to successfully argue Keir’s case? Will Elizabeth’s father learn to see her as more than just a legal assistant? This sequel provides a spirited romp through a world of ghosts and goblins with the effortlessly charming Elizabeth at the front of it all. It brings back the exciting mix of legal and paranormal activities that made the first entry such a charmer, but the emotional arc doesn’t hit the same sweet spot as the first. Readers thrilled to return to this world will find plenty to enjoy, but others will find this entry a bit ho-hum. Main characters are White; there’s a bit of diversity among Elizabeth’s friends.
A sturdy case. (Mystery. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-06289-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
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
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