Release date: June 7, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: City Trilogy (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 890L (What's this?)
Two-time Newbery Honor Award-winning author Laurence Yep returns with the action-packed sequel to the critically-acclaimed City of Fire
From the islands of Hawaii, Scirye and her loyal companions pursue the villainous Mr. Roland and evil dragon Badik all the way to the city of Nova Hafnia in the Arctic Circle. With the help of a trader, Prince Tarkhun, and his daughter Roxanna, the companions chase their enemies into the vast and desolate Wastes. Scirye and her friends are determined to stop Mr. Roland from getting his hands on the second of the Five Lost Treasures of Emperor Yü, which will give him the power to alter the very fabric of the universe. But few who enter the Wastes ever return, and Scirye has no choice but to call on the spirit of the North for help. As wild and unpredictable as the Arctic itself, will the spirit turn out to be friend or foe?
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A Fall 2009 Kid’s Indie Next List “Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers” selection
A Kansas State Reading Circle Selection
“As usual, Yep successfully mixes adventure, history (of the often overlooked variety), colorful period detail, and magic with characters that young readers will want to follow into the next book in this promising planned trilogy.” —Publishers Weekly
“…the cast is as engaging as it is diverse.”—Kirkus Reviews
“…readers will be on tenterhooks awaiting the next episode of this exhilarating chase.”—Booklist
“Readers will enjoy the bond that develops among the characters…Yep does a fine job of telling the story through multiple perspectives, and the descriptions of historical artifacts, dragons, lap griffins (Scirye’s feathered pet with wings,) and shape shifters are vivid, giving this first installment in a trilogy just the right blend of history and fantasy. Yep fans will be pleased.”—VOYA
“Yep’s varied human, animal, and mythic cast is reminiscent of those found in Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum. Readers who follow the diverse protagonists as they come to understand and love one another as family will be eager to follow their adventures into the next volume.”—School Library Journal
“Yep’s writing is absolutely fantastic, and the blending of many cultures is done with grace and skill…it’s a lot of fun and promises sequels of equal caliber.”—School Library Journal Book Reviews by Young Adults
About the Author
LAURENCE YEP is the critically acclaimed author of more than sixty books for children and young adults, including two Newbery Honor Award winners: Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate. In 2005, he won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for a substantial and lasting contribution literature for children. Yep lives with his wife, author and editor Joanne Ryder, in California.
In 1941 after their dangerous encounter on the Hawaiian Islands (see City of Fire) Scirye and her friends (Leech the orphan. Koko the badger and Bayang the dragon) chase after their deadly adversaries, evil sorcerer Mr. Roland and Badik the dragon. They know if Mr. Roland obtains the Emperor Yu's lost magical treasure, he will be nearly invincible; he already is very powerful as he seeks the second artifact.
In the Waste of the Arctic Circle where none leave, Prince Tarkhun and his daughter Roxanna join the companions on their quest. As their situation turns dire, Scirye asks for the spirit of the North to help them. When a giant polar bear arrives from nowhere, the companions hope the beast is on their side.
The second Scirye alternate history fantasy continues the non-stop adventures of the heroine and her friends as they go from the heat of Hawaii to frozen Waste of the Arctic. The story line is fast-paced from the onset and never slows down as the team with additional volunteers tries to prevent Mr. Roland from obtaining the second relic. Although adults will wish their were less of the teasing banter that seems to be a sub-genre requirement of a young adult fantasy, middle school children will want to join Scirye and her team as they traverse the iced tundra on their save the world quest.
