Grade 5-8-This substantial third book in the quartet may not be great literature, but it does have a fast pace, suspenseful plotting, and cliff-hanger chapter endings that will make it popular. Readers who love video games, James Bond, Harry Potter, and Artemis Fowl will clamor for it. Bobby Pendragon and his friend Spader time travel by means of magical "flumes" to different parallel territories attempting to save them from Saint Dane, an evil shape-shifter who's determined to control the universe. In this installment, they go to Manhattan on the eve of World War II and find work in a fancy hotel full of celebrities and gangsters fighting turf wars. They must figure out what hand Saint Dane will play in world events of 1937 and whether they'll be able to stop him. This necessitates a trip 3000 years into the future. Along the way, they learn painful lessons about their role as saviors of the universe. Readers won't mind the lack of character development as they're drawn into the nonstop action, snappy dialogue, pop-culture references, and lots of historical trivia. It's advisable to read the books in order because, although each one has a stand-alone plot, frequent references are made to previous events.
Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ
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