ATLANTIS

Can a 12-year-old save his world from an impending invasion?

Continuing where Atlantis: The Accidental Invasion (2021) left its readers hanging, preteen daydreamer and dance aficionado Meriweather Lewis Gates (who goes by just Lewis) is back home on dry land with his friends Hanna Barkley, a fellow human, and Kaya, an Atlantean. Frustrated by aboveground cultural differences (and receiving little acknowledgment of her own culture), Kaya is ready to return home. Before long, the trio find themselves on their way back to Atlantis on a multipronged mission: to save both Lewis’ and Kaya’s fathers, carry out a dubious assignment for a suspicious corporate leader who wants to pilfer Atlantean tech for her own exploitation, and stave off a megalomaniac who is threatening war. For much of Mone’s sophomore effort, the action veers heavily toward a cat-and-mouse premise as Lewis, Hanna, and Kaya keep evading nefarious Atlantean pursuers. Eventually, the plot pivots to a series of reveals and twists, stylistically similar to its predecessor. While the ending is tidily wrapped up, the possibility of more adventures is also floated. Differences between Lewis’ and Kaya’s worlds are sharply juxtaposed; both find aspects of the other’s culture distasteful. Largely action-driven, this story offers enough thrilling chases, cool gadgetry, and gotcha moments to keep pages turning. Lewis reads as White; Hanna is described as having brown skin.

A buzzy, fast-paced sequel.