Nadya Skylung and the Masked Kidnapper

April 1, 2019
The adventures of Nadya Skylung and the crew of the cloudship Orion continue. Nadya and her friends are still reeling from the loss of Mrs. T, the crew's skylung, who kept the cloudship afloat through the tending of a garden. Moreover, Nadya also lost her leg after the events that closed Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue (2018). Now the Orion is headed to the port city of Far Agondy, a steampunk wonderland, for repairs and to deliver their three pirate prisoners. But as the ship is about to dock, a sudden explosion provides cover for the escape of the prisoners. Indeed, intrigue swirls around Far Agondy, where there's been a rash of child kidnappings. After Nadya herself is nearly kidnapped, the crew puts a plan in place to thwart them. Seymour paints a realistic picture of Nadya's adjustment to the loss of her leg; even her can-do optimism sags as she contemplates the reality of living without it. Adding emotional texture is a breach in her friendship with crewmate Pepper. The cast is racially diverse--indicated by references to skin tone and naming convention--and descriptions do not have the exoticizing feel occasionally present in the previous book. Seymour describes his research on what it's like to be an amputee in the acknowledgments. An action- and machine-filled follow-up for fans of the first novel with just enough of an open ending for a potential sequel. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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May 1, 2019

Gr 5 Up-Nadya Skylung has always been a leader on her ship and a great caretaker of its cloud garden. But recently, she faced a setback when she and her crew defeated pirates: she lost her leg. Nadya is adjusting to life with "the lady," as she affectionately calls her leg stump, and also facing conflict with her best friend Pep, who feels that she hogs the spotlight and does not listen well to others. Nadya gains hope at the possibility of a prothesis made for her at the port of Far Agondy. However, she and her crew soon realize that they have an even bigger problem. A notorious gang leader known as Silvermask is kidnapping skylung and cloudling children in the area, and their trip to Far Agondy might not be as safe as they had hoped. Captain Nic is tightening up the ship, and fear grabs hold of the whole crew. Then, Silvermask kidnaps one of Nadya's friends, even though he really wanted her. Nadya resolves to set the situation right and defeat Silvermask for good. Will her strength, determination, and leadership skills once again lead her and her friends to victory? VERDICT An entertaining and engaging fantasy adventure that deals sensitively with the topic of disability. Will appeal to late elementary and early middle school fans of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" series and similar middle grade speculative fiction.-Margaret A. Robbins, University of Georgia, Athens

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