BRING ME THE HEAD OF OLIVER PLUNKETT

Eddie and his no name gang are back again to seek a valuable relic—a saint’s head—stolen from an Irish church and hidden somewhere on the property of Scarface Cutler, the most violent criminal in Belfast. This fast-paced improbable adventure features breaking and entering, gang warfare, a scheming bishop, several explosions, capture and threatened death, as well as a mummified head that might just work miracles. New readers may be surprised by the casual violence of Irish schools and streets, but will quickly warm to Eddie who, like many middle-school boys, would love to be a leader—but who will follow? Readers who enjoyed Running with the Reservoir Pups (2005) will be pleased to re-encounter Mo, the girl who leads the Andytown Albinos, and entertained by new characters: Pat, a runaway from an Irish orphanage, and Ivan, Cutler’s bullying blind son. A good choice for reluctant readers, but easier if they begin with the first in the series. (Fiction. 10-14)