Unlucky Charms

February 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-The crew introduced in Cold Cereal (HarperCollins, 2012) is back: a pixie named Merle; the wizard we know as Merlin; four human children; a rock star who has been knighted; an extremely tall librarian; a fire-breathing finch; a mechanical owl; a uni-horned cat; a leprechaun; and a man with a rabbit head. Their mission: stop the evil fairy queen Nimue, who has established the cereal company Goodco, which is putting Intellijuice in breakfast cereal for kids, abusing members of the Fey, and has had a hand in kidnapping the Queen of England and replacing her with two goblins. The plan: capture the goblins and expose the false queen, thus taking down Goodco. Will this motley crew of adventurers be able to rescue the Queen and save the two worlds of the British Isles? Readers will have to wait for the next installment to find out. Drawing on Arthurian legend and including every kind of fairy, brownie, ogre, and other mythical creature imaginable, Rex has once again struck a wonderful balance between adventure, fantasy, and absurdity. Readers will want to have read the first in this series since this sequel is a true continuation of events and characters without too much background. This series is well worth exploring since its wide range of characters and complex plot will keep readers engaged.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2013
Grades 4-7 The converging stories in Rex's epic Cold Cereal (2012) continue here, and most of the same elementsShakespeare, King Arthur, Celtic legend, Freemasons, and of course, sugary cerealmake return appearances. It's all in an effort to prevent the Goodco Cereal Company from taking over the world and to thwart that corporation's most recent evildoing, the kidnapping of the Queen of Englanda task which necessitates a magical journey through time and space to an alternative world called Pretannica. The characterswhether kids, fairies, or leprechaunsare many, and the large chunks of dialogue move their quest rapidly and wittily along. Rex's delicious sense of humor is much in evidence here and informs not just his themes but also the interior black-and-white drawings and settings (he describes an untended garden as a place that looks like where all the troublemaker plants came to smoke ). While more casual nibblers, or those who haven't already digested the prequel, may be overwhelmed and confused, Rex provides great fodder for readers who really like to dig into their adventures as they would a hearty and well-balanced breakfast.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)