Queste

School Library Journal Gr 4-9- Fans of Septimus's previous adventures will welcome Sage's latest installment with an eagerness the book deserves. There are fearsome dealings afoot for 12-year-old Septimus Heap, and this time they begin with the foolish Darke Magyk of Merrin Meredith. When Merrin summons Things to do his bidding and aids a malevolent ghost of the first Chief Hermetic Scribe, the result sends Septimus on a Queste. No apprentice has ever survived such an ordeal, but the boy is determined to use this chance to find his brother Nicko, now trapped in time in a mysterious place called the House of Foryx. With his sister Jenna and friend Beetle by his side, he will either succeed in rescuing Nicko and his girlfriend or fall victim to a curse that has claimed too many others. Newcomers to Sage's world would do very well to read earlier books in this series before embarking on this latest title. Characters are almost overly abundant and many crop up in a chapter called "Endings and Beginnings" without making an appearance in the rest of the book. But fans looking for enjoyable characters, a well-paced plot, and the author's customary use of humor and verve will not be disappointed in this newest chapter in Septimus's life.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library