ROGUE’S HOME

A winter’s tale—with lots of snow and ice—told by two older teens, this buddy novel tells the further adventures of the anachronistic knight Sir Michael and his trusty (and crusty) rogue squire, Fisk. In this installment, Michael has been judged, condemned and marked as an outcast while Fisk has been summoned home by his family to clear his brother-in-law’s name and rescue the family fortunes. Told by Michael and Fisk in turn—the two are wonderful foils for each other—the use of alternating voices gives readers access to details about and perspective on secondary characters and events. The writing is great: lots of humor, likable people, mystery and suspense aplenty. The setting is not so dusty either—a kind of 18th-century England fantasy realm with mysterious magical elements. Bell wraps things up nicely, but not so tightly that readers won’t hope for more stories of this entertaining duo. Although this is volume two, readers who missed the first book will have no difficulty diving right in and following the story. (Fantasy. 12 & up)