THE SECRET OF THE BLOODRED KEY

This sequel to The Book of Stolen Dreams (2023) again pits siblings Rachel and Robert Klein against the forces of evil.

Twelve-year-old Rachel and her older brother have become national heroes after saving their country of Krasnia from malevolent dictator Charles Malstain, whom they’ve permanently (or so they believe) sent to the Hinterland, the world where the dead go. Alas, getting rid of one evil person doesn’t solve everything, and greedy nobles Horace and Mary Trueblood are determined to use the Hinterland to cheat death and live forever—at the expense of an innocent child. When Rachel stumbles upon this information (through her network of ghost friends who were introduced in the first book), she knows she must save the little girl, Elsa Spiegel. Rachel’s the only one who has the bloodred key necessary for opening the gate to the Hinterland. She tries to share what’s going on, but Robert is preoccupied with his social activities, and their father is still mired in grief over the loss of his wife, the kids’ mother. So, using her key, Rachel bravely enters the Hinterland alone to find Elsa and bring her back. While the characterization isn’t very deep, that doesn’t detract much from the overall pleasure of the story, since it’s more an adventure-driven than character-driven tale. The richly imagined Hinterland with its poignant but soothing portrayal of death is a bright light. Black-and-white illustrations enliven the story. Main characters read white.

Both swashbuckling and emotionally stirring.