STAR OF STONE
Century Quartet, Book II
From the Century Quartet series, volume 2
by Pierdomenico Baccalario & translated by Leah D. Janeczko
In this sequel, the four children from the first book meet again in New York, two months after their Roman adventures (Ring of Fire, 2009). They are thrown into their search—this time for the Star of Stone—immediately after Elettra, Mistral and Sheng get off the plane in the United States, chaperoned by Elettra’s Aunt Linda. Together with Harvey, the children are in constant motion in this pell-mell, plot-driven story. The insert of full-color illustrations includes maps, copies of documents and photos of places and provides clues and concrete knowledge that supports the plot. Readers learn more about the lives of the four primary characters in this episode, while, as in the first book, most of the secondary characters—villains and guardian adults who include a Russian antiquarian and a group of Seneca tribesmen—are tools of the plot and rarely rise above genre stereotype. The back story is skillfully integrated, the plot is ultra-suspenseful, there is a budding romance and the ending is both exciting and satisfying. Message to the publisher: Bring on the next volume soon. (Adventure. 12 & up)