The Sign of the Black Rock

July 1, 2011

A heavy thunderstorm brings a motley trio of fugitive ex-circus performers, their armored pursuers and a band of smugglers together under the roof of a greedy innkeeper in this never-a-dull-moment sequel to Tower of Treasure (2010).

Complications pile on as young Dessa and her two companions—a small, irascible, bright-blue Norker and a huge, trollish Ettin—find refuge in a stable. They do so just as the owner of the adjacent inn is finishing a deal with a crew of smugglers and moments before Captain Drake and his elite troop of royal guards ride into the innyard. As in the opening episode, Chantler not only shows an ability to pack plenty of clearly defined action into his graphic panels, but also develops unusually nuanced characters through glances, gestures, subtleties of facial expression and the occasional quick flashback. In the course of a nonstop flurry of chases, captures, wild mishaps, pratfalls, acrobatic feats and narrow escapes, Dessa also picks up a cryptic clue to the whereabouts of her kidnapped twin brother and his evil captor to set up the next chapter.

Readers should start with the first volume to get the characters' back stories, but here's an animated, breathlessly paced adventure that's just hitting its stride. (Graphic fantasy. 10-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 5 Up-Having escaped from hanging in Tower of Treasure (Kids Can, 2010), Dessa, Topper, and Fisk hide from the queen's guard at the Black Rock Inn, where their safety is threatened by a money-grubbing innkeeper and some smugglers. While the first volume was mostly about establishing stakes and camaraderie, this one does little to continue the main plot of Dessa trying to locate her missing twin brother and his abductor. In fact, it primarily centers around the innkeep and his nefarious activities. His story, and his relationship with his wife, provides the heart of the book, which makes it an effective stand-alone volume. The artwork is clean, with mostly muted colors, making the colorful skin, hair, and tabards of the main characters and their nemeses pop out with dramatic importance. The faces are simple, but emotive, and the detailed line work in the backgrounds and costumes helps considerably in giving the fantastic world a believable dimension. The book has gentle slapstick moments, which add to its appeal. While slightly disappointing to have the overarching plot advanced so little, the story is heartfelt and moving, and helps readers become invested in the characters.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2011
Grades 4-7 This second book in the Three Thieves series, following the derring-do of Tower of Treasure (2010), presents a bottle episode of sorts. Dessa and her outlaw companions, on the run from the Queen's soldiers, spend a rainy night at a roadside inn operated by a shady proprietor and filled with smugglers and other ne'er-do-wells. Ratcheting up the tension is the fact that the soldiers hunting her are also waiting out the storm there. Touches of zany slapstick balance nicely with Dessa's continued resolve to find her lost brother, and Chantler's inviting cartooning captures it all with special aplomb.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)