Sky Island

April 15, 2020
Trot the girl and Cap'n Bill the cat are back in another adventure with the Sea Sirens (2019). School is out, and Trot is ready for another summer of surfing. In hopes of spending some time with her Sea Siren friends, Trot sends them a message in a bottle with the help of her grandfather and his fishing pole. When she receives an urgent message from King Anko in a different bottle, Trot, Cap'n Bill, and Grandpa clamber into the monarch's submarine. Once they're onboard, Princess Clia explains that her best friend, Merla, has been kidnapped by humans. With a little magic to replace her tail with legs, Princess Clia joins the three on land, where they discover the boat that took Merla is connected to abandoned amusement park Sky Island. With the help of Grandpa's friend, they set off to Sky Island to rescue Merla. Featuring the same bright color palette and impressive linework as its predecessor, this sequel is another stunning work of art. With mermaids, an evil collector of curiosities, a hero cat, an extraordinary theme park, and twists and turns aplenty, there is something for all fantasy adventure lovers--though some of the twists are abrupt, and the conclusion feels rushed. Vietnamese American Trot's grandfather's dementia is mentioned when Trot uses it to explain why he is talking about mermaids. Mesmerizing artwork carries an exciting rescue mission. (Graphic fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 24, 2020

Gr 3-6-Fans of Sea Sirens, Trot and Cap'n Bill's first adventure, will dive right into this exciting, beautifully rendered story. After tossing countless messages into the sea, Trot finally gets an answer from her underwater friends-and it's an urgent summons. With her grandfather and her hilarious, scrappy cat Cap'n Bill, Trot travels to the sea floor, where King Anko and Princess Clia inform the trio that their sea siren friend Merla has been kidnapped. Following their only clue, a symbol on a boat, Trot and the others visit Rosalie Rodriguez, a lonely, reclusive millionaire whose father once owned Sky Island, a landmass surrounded by clouds that held a fantastical amusement park. With Rosalie as their guide, they travel onward in the hopes of locating Merla. Boating into the thick fog, they find the isolated island much changed, taken over as a stronghold by a strange, possibly malicious millionaire, Dr. Buluru. Can Trot and company save Merla? Can Cap'n Bill continue to be the funniest and best cat ever? The plot is quick and intriguing, with fantastical creatures that suck readers even further into the gorgeous magical realism of Trot's world. Lee's artwork is remarkable with natural, fluid lines. VERDICT Readers who didn't pick up Sea Sirens when it came out should seize their chance to grab both of these recommended reads.-Abby Bussen, Muskego Public Library, WI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.