Darwen Arkwright and the Insidious Bleck

October 15, 2012
A class trip thrusts Darwen and his friends into world-hopping danger. Eleven-year-old Darwen Arkwright, recently transplanted to Atlanta from England, found out last semester that he's a mirroculist: He can travel to the fantastical (and dangerous) world of Silbrica through mirrors. With friends Rich and Alex, he saved Hillside Academy by foiling the schemes of the powerful Greyling. Now, when he witnesses a boy's abduction in the jungle while on a trip through the mirrors, Darwen wants to help. His mentor, Mr. Peregrine, now a teacher at Darwen's school, sets up a class trip to Costa Rica (the likely location of the portal Darwen visited). Once there, Darwen wants to find the missing boy, but Mr. Peregrine has other orders from the Silbrican Council. Everyone seems to be working against Darwen, and he's haunted by a vision from his past of a laughing clown. Can he mend fences with his friends and save the boy before a nasty developer takes possession of the area and the Insidious Bleck snatches more children? Hartley hits a sophomore slump with his sequel to Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact (2011). Endless and pointless bickering among the principle characters and a monster that sounds more Dr. Seuss refugee than fearsome beast hobble an already-sluggish adventure. Neither a whiz-bang finish nor a tacked-on environmental message can save Darwen's second adventure; hopefully his third will reignite the series. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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January 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-The kids from Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact (Penguin, 2011) are back in another heart-stopping adventure. It's now winter in Atlanta, and Darwen is dreading his first Christmas since the death of his parents. He perks up when a familiar face joins the faculty at Hillside Academy; Mr. Peregrine is now his world-studies teacher. He sends Darwen a portal that the youngster travels through into a junglelike place where he witnesses the abduction of a boy by a horrific creature, the Insidious Bleck. Mr. Peregrine arranges for Darwen's entire sixth-grade class to travel to Costa Rica in order for him to find out how the Insidious Bleck is entering our world, and to close the breach. They encounter rainforest wonders and terrible danger. The inhabitants of the rainforest are losing their children, and Darwen is determined to put a stop to that. Along the way, he finds out that he can't always trust what, and whom, he sees. The story is gripping and fast paced, and readers will cheer for Darwen and his friends as they discover who is behind the evil events, and Darwen discovers the meaning of home and family. Each chapter opens with an appealing, imaginative illustration.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NC

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