SAMUEL BLINK AND THE RUNAWAY TROLL

When their new school starts, Samuel and Martha Blink have trouble keeping secret everything they learned about the Shadow Forest near their aunt and uncle’s home (Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest, 2007). But things get worse when the Troll child Samuel met in the Forest decides to flee to Samuel’s house rather than spend a week with the evil Betterer. Samuel and Martha are both courageous and quick-witted enough to hide their surprise guest, and, eventually, to thwart both Mr. Myklebust, who would like to develop the forest into a theme park, and the Betterer, who would like to keep both Samuel and Troll-Son forever. The action moves quickly, in short chapters occasionally interrupted by authorial commentary. While this sequel follows directly from the previous story, a neatly placed “What I Did Last Summer” essay serves as a summary, allowing this volume to stand alone. Well-paced suspense, sympathetic (or satisfyingly wicked) characters and a lovingly described Norwegian setting make this an above-average fantasy, and readers will be hoping for more. (Fantasy. 8-12)