THE EAGLE AS WIDE AS THE WORLD

Kennedy's companion to The Owlstone Crown (1983) is set once again in Other Earth, the Land of the Moonflower. Giant killer bees want sole rights to the moonflower nectar. When Grandfather Tibb refuses their request, they kidnap his grandson, Mustard, and carry him off to their lair on April Fool Isle. Grandfather Tibb puts Lew Ladybug, private eye, on the case and packs Mustard's twin brother and sister, Tim and Verity, off to boarding school where he thinks they'll be safer. A brown bear named Fardels goes along as bodyguard. But it doesn't take the twins long to figure out that the whole school is run by killer bees, and a huge swarm plans to invade on parents' day, imprisoning all the humans. They need to clear out and rescue Mustard pronto. Traveling in a little blue blimp, the twins and Fardels reach April Fool Isle safely, but the plot thickens when a huge invisible eagle kidnaps Verity, insisting she baby-sit for its eaglets. Now Tim has two rescues to perform. Readers who only know Kennedy by his inventive verse will be delighted to find this novel, with its unusual characters, humorous dialogue—especially from the tough-talking ladybug—calamitous plot twists, and mounting tension. Like its predecessor, it's an original and fast-paced fantasy. (Fiction. 8-12)