ZEB BOLT AND THE EMBER SCROLL

Two 11-year-old children fight against the odds to free secret worlds from the grip of a world-destroying harpy.

Stopping the rising global temperatures isn’t a top concern for orphan Zeb Bolt; after spending his entire life running away from foster homes and unworthy adults, finding a place where he belongs and can trust others is. Following the regrettable bargain he struck with the evil harpy Morg, Zeb must journey to the Unmapped Kingdoms to find the other half of the long-lost Ember Scroll. Once the pieces are united, they can either trigger the rebirth of the magic-restoring phoenix—or spell the end of the Faraway and Unmapped Kingdoms, if Morg has her way. As with past Faraway children, Zeb receives much-needed help from residents of the Unmapped Kingdoms after he discovers Morg’s plan to betray him. Together with his crew—Ooonie (a courageous and stubborn blind girl who reads braille) and Mrs. Fickletint (a bossy chameleon who randomly changes color when flustered)—he travels to undiscovered parts of the Unmapped Kingdom, learning valuable lessons in trust and the power of hope. This is a brisk, well-paced novel told through omniscient third-person narration that occasionally directly addresses readers, with action-packed battles against evil and space for Zeb’s and Oonie’s growth. This heartwarming final series adventure will keep readers on tenterhooks as it reaches its gratifying end. Zeb is White, and Oonie has brown skin.

A fantastic ending to an endearing series.