The Last of the High Kings

Starred review from May 12, 2008
Just as well crafted as The New Policeman
, this sequel catches up with its hero, J.J. Liddy, now married with four children, including one intractable 11-year-old whose mysterious destiny is intertwined with the mythic fairy kingdom of their native Ireland. Jenny regularly ditches school to talk to goats and ghosts, “a skill that had taken her some time to acquire,” roaming the rocky countryside barefoot because her “feet can't see where they're going when they have shoes on them.” Thompson weaves a line of dread about Jenny's future into a narrative that centers on the fate of a ghost she's befriended, that of a boy who's been guarding a beacon with an odd treasure beneath it, for thousands of years. Her re-imagining of Irish folklore playfully braids modern life with ancient magic, as she poses intelligent questions about the nature of man and stewardship of the environment. Though much of the story is told from the point of view of adults, it's two children, Jenny and a younger brother, who, in a beautifully executed denouement, see through the Irish mist to do the right thing. Ages 12–up.