THE BOOKSHOP AT THE BACK OF BEYOND

In this third series entry, the traveling house carrying orphaned young pickpocket Nine and her motley housemates lands in the town of Beyond, where magical traps and powerful witches lie in ambush.

Narrow squeaks and desperate ploys abound as Nine’s ongoing search for clues to her parentage is complicated by pursuers with scarily apt names like Ophidia the Unpredictable and Gazillion the Unstoppable. Sparkes has again concocted a setting as beguiling as the frequent ruckuses, with events leading to wild magical battles in a warehouse filled with secret memories contained in fragile glass jars and a bespelled bookstore that won’t allow customers to leave until they’ve located the book it’s recommended to them. At least the House itself continues to be a safe refuge—notwithstanding its giggling, fugitive toilet and its troll housekeeper, Eric, whose gray, bone-filled pancakes are best avoided. Better yet, the author adds a bit of nuanced character development in the form of her plucky protagonist, with Nine experiencing new pangs of conscience while making a secret bargain that abuses the trust of her housemates. One final escapade brings the helter-skelter episode to a close, with rising stakes, a fresh clue, and a chancy new passenger pointing tantalizingly to further adventures. Mantle’s spot art adds humor and charm to the chapter headers. Characters read white.

More brisk brouhahas.