The Book of Stolen Time

December 1, 2021
Rufus and Abigail are again thrust into a wild adventure as they try to stop the goblins from destroying Feylawn and the magic it holds. The beginning of summer was exciting for Rufus Takada Collins, what with saving the fairylike feylings and helping them return to their world. But his family still wants to sell Feylawn, Grandpa Jack's farm, and Rufus is now stuck at a two-week camp for young entrepreneurs with his cousin, Abigail. One day, when the cousins manage to visit the farm, the feylings warn that a badness is coming and tell of four impossible tasks they must complete to save it. Their parents announce they want to sell to a man who is actually a goblin in disguise, bringing urgency to their challenge. As they get further into their quest and encounter a two-faced monster, a time cabinet, and a moving meadow, they realize there is far more to the story than they realized. Full of magical creatures, action, and adventure, this is an entertaining duology closer. With the unexpected return of familiar characters, betrayals, and a few twists, the story will keep readers on their toes. Rufus and Abigail learn real-world lessons, such as what it means to sacrifice, persevere, and be true to themselves. The previous volume established the cousins as biracial: Rufus is White and Japanese, and Abigail is White and Mexican. An exciting, engaging read. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

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January 1, 2022
Grades 4-6 In this sequel to The Book of Fatal Errors (2020), Rufus and his cousin Abigail struggle to protect Feylawn (their grandfather's beautiful property) and its magical creatures, while thwarting its sale to a goblin in human form. Only the kids and their grandfather are aware of the magical beings struggling to survive and seeking a charmed amulet. Allied with the diminutive fairies, a leopard troubled by loss of spots, and a goose enigmatically spouting words from her extensive vocabulary, the cousins embark on increasingly perilous adventures to fulfill a quest and help their friends. In the end, Abigail and Rufus must decide what they're willing to risk in order to save Feylawn and its inhabitants. In this well-paced adventure, Slater pulls out all the stops in creating precarious situations and grave dangers in the fantasy world. Meanwhile, Abigail battles on another front as well; driven to rebel against her mother's domination, she begins making her own choices. Slater creates a satisfying interplay between magical and real-world elements in this fitting conclusion to the two-volume Feylawn Chronicles.

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February 11, 2022

Gr 3-6-Cousins Rufus and Abigail are set with the impossible task of saving Feylawn, their grandfather's home and farmland, from being sold. But only they and Grandpa Jack know that Feylawn is actually the home of magical feylings and other creatures and that goblins in disguise are trying to buy the farm to destroy the feyling world. This second series installment picks up at the beginning of the summer as the protagonists deal with their parents' eagerness to sell the farm, rescue the feyling queen from her terrible goblin husband, avoid the not-as-imprisoned-as-she-used-to-be trickster thief, and still complete successful projects for their entrepreneurial camp. It is established in the first book that both cousins are biracial, with Rufus being white and Japanese and Abigail white and Mexican. Slater brings adventure, hard lessons, and magic to this sequel, crafting a duology that pulls the fantastical into the real world. VERDICT A great middle grade title for burgeoning fantasy lovers.-Sarah Voels

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