THE DRAGONS OF NOOR

Carey’s sequel to The Beast of Noor (2006) returns to the linked worlds of Noor (pre-industrial, mostly realistic) and Oth (traditional fantasyland) and brings teen siblings Hanna and Miles back for more adventures. The link between the worlds is being destroyed, their younger brother and other children have disappeared and Hanna is the savior the dragons have been waiting for. Oth and Noor feel a bit like the clichéd fantasy worlds so often ridiculed (see Diana Wynne Jones’s Tough Guide to Fantasyland, 2006), with excerpts from magic books, songs and prophecies as chapter heads, distracting imaginary language and magic that exists in service to the plot. But despite flaws and the occasionally preachy feel (there is very little gray and lots of earnest do-gooding), young teens with a burgeoning taste for high fantasy should be satisfied, and they might even sympathize with Hanna and Miles’s struggles (she must accept responsibility, he must master his anger). The first blushes of romance provide an added potential appeal but are minor enough not to impede much on the adventure. OK, despite the occasionally saccharine flavor. (glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)