Viking, August 25, 2020 / ISBN 9780451478696 / 371 pp. / Ages 10 and up
For fans of THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE, who have asked for a sequel…coming from Viking Children’s in August 2020, a companion book: THE ARTIFACT HUNTERS. In the words of my editor, Aneeka Kalia:
“Indiana Jones-style treasure-hunting through eras of the past to defeat the greatest evil the world has ever seen.”
Isaac Wolf can travel through time. But he’s also in a race against it.
With tensions in Prague rising at the height of World War II, Isaac Wolf is forced to leave home with nothing more than a small backpack and a pendant in the shape of an eternity knot. His parents believe the pendant will keep him safe–if he can discover what it really means.
This clue leads him to Rookskill Castle, home of the Special Alternative Intelligence Unit where gifted children can learn to harness their powers to support the Allies’ cause. With the help of his new friends and an antique watch that allows him to travel through time, Isaac must unlock his own powers and uncover the true meaning of the eternity knot. The only way he can do that, though, is by hunting for a series of magical artifacts that are scattered throughout the past . . . and Isaac isn’t the only artifact hunter. Soon he finds himself in a race against a threat just as deadly as the war itself–one that his parents had been trying to shield him from all along.
Here’s a snippet…….
“What does this mean, a magical artifact?” Isaac asked.
“An artifact is an old object, of any kind,” Amelie said. “Jewelry. A sword. A mirror. A potion. But a magical artifact is infused with power. Some of the stuff of legends, like, you know, Excalibur. Or Aladdin’s lamp with the genie inside or the Chinese emperor’s nightingale. Other objects may have magic but no stories about them. Yet.” She paused. “A magical artifact can be just about anything.”
Isaac will have to discover his own path, while battling his fears, for…
“We may all be monsters under the skin.”