The Wizards of Wyrd World

July 1, 2012
Thanks to two young biblionauts and the alien transporter they snatched in the series opener, a weary writer finds both terror and inspiration in the fantasy world where his own novels are set. Taking advantage of a school visit (plus the series premise that all "fiction" is actually real, somewhere) Josh and his pushy little sister, Maggie, engineer a trip to swords-and-sorcery "Wyrd World" with its nerdy but willing author/creator P.L. Cuthbertson. Unfortunately, Cuthbertson is immediately captured and hustled off to a dungeon. Fortunately, Josh has just reread the entire series and so knows of a secret entrance....And so it goes through multiple escapes from places like Gaurgum and the Mines of Karfax, plus encounters with "six-foot-long, puke-colored slugs" called Ouliths and other locals. Service pokes a little writerly fun as she goes ("news flash: famous authors snore") and relies with comical frequency on Josh's polka-dotted alien pet dit-dit to leap chasms or do whatever else is needed to expedite the plot whenever it hits a snag. She delivers her three travelers home at last, exhilarated and ready for sequels--both real and (in Cuthbertson's case) the virtual, armchair sort. A firmly tongue-in-cheek series hits its stride as Josh cuts out his earlier foot-dragging and shows signs of becoming an adrenalin junkie like his sister. (Science fiction. 8-12)

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January 1, 2013
After the last two troubling adventures, Josh and his sister Maggie vowed to never use their alien gizmo that allows them to visit other worlds again. But when Josh's favorite fantasy author comes to town they are tempted to try one more excursion--with predictably dire consequences. Familiar plot devices are becoming creaky, but this third volume continues to be entertaining.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)