Sound Bender #2: The Shadow Mask
In this follow-up to Sound Bender (2011), evidence that his parents may still be alive prompts Leo Lomax to strike a devil’s bargain with his guardian, a slimy antiquities dealer. Using his psychic ability to hear artifacts, Leo reluctantly leads an expedition into Borneo in search of the long-lost half of a valuable, ancient mask. Bullies, grave robbers, peer and family conflicts, jungle adventures, tantalizing hints of both espionage and a mythical lost civilization, and more overstuff this patchy sequel but leave plenty of unresolved plotlines for future episodes. Grades 5-8. --John Peters