Tower of Treasure

August 2, 2010
Dessa, a 14-year-old acrobat, struggles with her values as they are compromised by the pressure of her traveling circus peers. Hugo, her mean and domineering master, refuses to pay anyone after a show, and troupe members are forced to find their own means to get money and food. Topper, a sky-blue eel-like creature destined to be the world’s greatest thief, pickpockets peasants for money to buy food, but recruits Dessa and Fisk the strong man to help break into the queen’s treasury using a map he found. Things don’t go well, and the struggle to find money and nourishment quickly turns into an escape for survival and many unanswered questions. Told in three acts, the story uses medieval slang sporadically without being overbearing. Chantler effectively presents action and adventure, with atmospheric coloring to convey the mood. It’s an entertaining and action packed new fantasy-adventure series that will appeal to fans of the genre. Ages 8–12.

July 15, 2010

In this lively opener to the Three Thieves series, young gymnast Dessa, searching for her kidnapped twin brother, joins two fellow circus performers in an attempted heist, a prison escape and a merry chase through and out of the fortress of Kingsbridge. Along the way she spots the kidnapper, who escapes her and so sets up a continuing plotline. Artfully using exchanged glances and wordless panels to add both humor and emotional depth, Chantler introduces a likable trio of thieves in a medieval-ish setting and throws in several worthy adversaries—including an intelligent, conflicted guard captain who spends much of the tale hot on their trail. He further spices things up by rendering Dessa's companions as nonhuman: Topper, "the greatest thief in North Huntington," is a small, blue, irascible gnome-like creature, and Fisk is a large, slow, lavender troll-like thing with a hairstyle ever-so-slightly reminiscent of the Human Torch's. The banter among the three is sharp and witty and balances the visual pacing effortlessly. Fast paced, cleanly illustrated, great fun. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)

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January 1, 2011

Gr 4 Up-Fourteen-year-old Dessa is an orphan who witnessed her brother's kidnapping years earlier. Now she is working as an acrobat in a traveling circus, but she still continues to search for her twin and the man who took him. She hopes that she will find them in the royal city of Kingsbridge. Topper the juggler and Fisk the strongman plan to rob the royal treasury, and because Dessa is also desperate for money, she reluctantly joins them. Little does she know how much this one decision is going to change her life. This book contains a lot of action, but there are also numerous instances where readers will want to slow down and think about the story more deeply, as when Dessa has flashbacks about her family. Chantler's illustrations range from sepia-toned images to bright and colorful drawings that are full of life and action. The fantastic cover, featuring the three thieves leaping over rooftops as they try to avoid the arrows being fired at them from below, will definitely draw many readers into this engaging book. The exciting story and excellent illustrations will make Tower of Treasure an especially good choice for reluctant readers.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010
Grades 3-5 With Northwest Passage (2007), Chantler proved he could balance great cartooning with a layered historical adventure. Here, he sets his sights a little lower with an appealing but incomplete-feeling first book in the Three Thieves graphic-novel series. A young tightrope walker named Dessa joins up (somewhat reluctantly) with two circus mates to stage a raid on a store of royal treasure. What follows is a nice trap-evading infiltration sequence and daring escape, but this book mostly serves to introduce the main players, including Dessas companionsa blue-skinned, gnomish pickpocket and a huge one-headed Ettin (multiheaded Ettins unseen)and a few adversaries. Chantler displays a nice grasp of visual pacing for both humor and action sequences, and his artwork is clear, confident, and richly colored. Although Dessa and her mates are only outfitted with the somewhat standard rapport of squabbling fantasy-adventure heroes, deeper character issues are hinted at. A promising start; with the groundwork now laid, well see where the real story goes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)