KID VS. SQUID

A lad goes from dusting the exhibits in his great-uncle’s decrepit museum of oddities to saving the coast of California from watery doom in this wry crossover debut. Thatcher’s sleepy vacation takes a sharp turn toward the exciting when he discovers that the oddball barkers and vendors along the local boardwalk are actually remnants of the last outpost of Atlantis—returned to life each summer thanks to the curse of Skalla, a beheaded witch. Actually, Skalla is still around, or at least her head is, delivering curses and transforming human victims into giant lobsters and other sea creatures. After centuries of preparation, she is also finally poised to raise up her own Atlantis with a massive tsunami. Drawing together a memorable supporting cast that ranges from a half-human Atlantean princess to a genial shark-man (“Howdy-do. Swim with us to shore or we’ll eat your legs”), van Eekhout chivvies the plot along at a lively pace to a hold-your-breath climax and a deftly choreographed resolution. He also leaves the main characters around for sequels—which in this case, at least, could be a Good Thing. (Fantasy/humor. 11-13)