The Lyon's Club: The Lyon Saga Book Two (Book 2 of the Lyon Saga)
Grade 5-9-Even readers who are unfamiliar with The Lyon's Roar (Chicken Soup, 1997) will relish the continuing story that speculates on the fate of the settlers of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. For 15-year-old Jessabel, life couldn't be better. She has adapted well to life with the peaceful Croatoan tribe and, in fact, is in love with a young brave, Akaiyan. The rest of the settlers, however, while grateful to the Native Americans, are anxious for the return of their governor and the supplies he is to bring back from England. When they visit their abandoned colony and discover no sign of his return, a small party of colonists and Croatoans head north in search of other settlers whom they hope have reached Chesapeake Bay. However, when two of them are killed by members of a hostile tribe, the expedition is abandoned. When the widow of one of the slain men is inconsolable, Jess decides to find her husband's body. Akaiyan and another Croatoan join her and their journey is fraught with peril; they are captured and enslaved by Spanish soldiers before making a hazardous escape. Each chapter of Jess's first-person account is short and action packed. The emphasis is definitely on plot over characterization, although the characters are consistent, believable, and sympathetic. Even reluctant readers will keep turning the pages as they seek answers to the many questions raised. Of course, some of these resolutions will only be found in the sequel, The Lyon's Pride (Chicken Soup, 1998). This is a fascinating glimpse at what might have happened to a group of people about whom little historical fiction is written.Peggy Morgan, The Library Network, Southgate, MICopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.