Four kids. A wooden top. And four postcards with secret instructions.
New York City, March 15
Another mysterious artifact reunites Harvey from New York, Elettra from Rome, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai in their attempt to save the world. When they meet people who knew Alfred Van Der Berger, the murdered professor who sent them on their quest in Rome, they realize that the challenge is far from over. And when they discover a series of four postcards written in code years ago by the professor himself, their destiny becomes even clearer.
The cards send the kids all over New York City, through old libraries and abandoned tunnels, in search of the Star of Stone, an ancient object fundamentally connected to the earth. But a new set of villains, predators of Manhattan nightlife, will do anything to stop them....
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
September 28, 2010 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780375892271
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780375892271
- File size: 7003 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 4.4
- Lexile® Measure: 660
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 3
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Reviews
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Kirkus
August 15, 2010
In this sequel, the four children from the first book meet again in New York, two months after their Roman adventures (Ring of Fire, 2009). They are thrown into their search—this time for the Star of Stone—immediately after Elettra, Mistral and Sheng get off the plane in the United States, chaperoned by Elettra's Aunt Linda. Together with Harvey, the children are in constant motion in this pell-mell, plot-driven story. The insert of full-color illustrations includes maps, copies of documents and photos of places and provides clues and concrete knowledge that supports the plot. Readers learn more about the lives of the four primary characters in this episode, while, as in the first book, most of the secondary characters—villains and guardian adults who include a Russian antiquarian and a group of Seneca tribesmen—are tools of the plot and rarely rise above genre stereotype. The back story is skillfully integrated, the plot is ultra-suspenseful, there is a budding romance and the ending is both exciting and satisfying. Message to the publisher: Bring on the next volume soon. (Adventure. 12 & up)
(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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School Library Journal
November 1, 2010
Gr 5-9-This second book in the series reunites the four children who need to save the world, this time bringing them together in Harvey's home city of New York. When Harvey realizes that he is being followed and in danger, he is joined by his friends Elettra, Mistral, and Sheng, and they attempt to follow the clues left by mysterious professor Alfred Van Der Berger, learning more about their huge task and meeting new allies and enemies. Readers will be intrigued by the Manhattan setting, the clues and codes, and the sense of danger and urgency that follows the characters through their adventures. A 16-page full-color section in the middle of the book provides maps, pictures, and additional enigmatic clues. The translation maintains a consistently tense tone. Relationships continue to develop as the characters learn more about their once-in-a-century task and the group that preceded them, providing realism and balance to the many all-out-action scenes.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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The Horn Book
January 1, 2011
Harvey, Elettra, Sheng, and Mistral, the leap-year-born friends from Rome-set Star of Stone, head to New York. With the villains from the last adventure presumed dead, the kids race to save their second city and piece together their destinies. The primary characters demonstrate distinctive, if one-note, personalities, but the story line is difficult to follow.(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
Languages
- English
Levels
- ATOS Level:4.4
- Lexile® Measure:660
- Interest Level:4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty:3
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