THE LOST TREASURE OF TALUS SCREE

Osterweil offers a thin, weak fantasy with no depth or solidity. Twelve-year-old Kiffin leads a privileged life on his planet of Talus Scree. He has a rare magical creature that can change shape and he’s allowed to skip school even when all the other kids must go. An adventure falls into his lap and saves him from boredom: He needs to find a hidden chest of magic rocks that can save his ailing mother and also the world. Ancient giants set the quest in treasure-hunt form eons ago. Kiffin and a team of kids go from island to island while battles and challenges flash by too quickly, requiring little effort. A series of overly convenient tools and explanations aids characters, and an undercurrent of wish fulfillment runs throughout. Sophomoric and flimsy. (Fantasy. 9-11)