The Bag of Bones: The Second Tale from the Five Kingdoms (Tales from the Five Kingdoms)
Grade 4–6—After their first tantalizing adventure inThe Robe of Skulls(Candlewick, 2008), Gracie, Prince Marcus, Marlon the talking bat, and Gubble the Troll are tapped once again to restore peace in The Five Kingdoms. Like its predecessor, this story captivates readers with its hilarity, action, and touch of romance. Deep magic is afoot, with an evil witch, Truda Hangnail, trying to scheme her way to becoming Queen in Wadingburn. Loobly Dirty, an orphan, sees Truda shrink her "Auntie," head of the infamously ineffectual but good witches of Wadingburn, and her coven down to rat size. Meanwhile, Gracie is staying with the Ancient Crones, who send her and faithful Gubble out to try to fix the Deep Magic stain that is quickly spreading on their magic web. Through several meandering paths, all the returning heroes and the newest ones, Loobly, her rat friends, and Alf, come together to defeat the Deep Magic. Readers unfamiliar with the first book may not understand all of the plot and character interactions, but they will find this an amusing jaunt to a land in which good is rewarded and evil is punished.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.