THE SEVEN KEYS OF BALABAD

Intrepid heroes preserve the peace of a war-torn Muslim country in this adventuresome Boy’s Own–type treasure hunt. Stuck in the Afghanistan-esque country of Balabad thanks to his journalist father’s assignment, Oliver Finch is as bored as only a 12-year-old can be. He misses the New York Yankees and movie theaters, and only his Baladi friend Zee and carpet salesman Mr. Haji make his sojourn in the country bearable. But that all changes when Balabad’s most valuable artifact, the Sacred Carpet of Agamon, is stolen from a local mosque—and it seems that Zee and Mr. Haji have unexpected connections to the theft. Zee and Oliver’s sleuthing is interwoven with the history of the carpet, an adventure in its own right that details the story of Bahauddin Shah, trusted advisor to the last king of Balabad. In a decisively non–Indiana Jones touch, the adventurers’ success is more due to the work of the Baladis than to any efforts of the visiting New Yorker. A cluster of likable stock characters and whip-wielding warriors keeps the endearing plot moving. (Adventure. 10-12)