The After-Room

Gr 5–9—In this trilogy finale, the remaining conspirators push aside sadness to fight nuclear proliferation using the magical Pharmacopeia book. It's 1955, and Benjamin and Janie drown in alternating tides of grief and confusion. Benjamin's new acquaintance Doyle claims Benjamin can contact his dead father in a liminal place called the After-room, but Janie worries deeply about Doyle and this kind of magic. Even as they head to Rome for more adventures, their old friend Jin Lo tracks down the missing nuclear weapon in the China seas, needing the magical help only they can provide. In the final novel, their work requires greater sacrifice and dedication of purpose. Events move at a whirlwind pace. Alternating chapters from events in the United States and China keep the dramatic tension tight even as the book's tone is painted by grief and the losses suffered in The Apprentices (Penguin, 2013). The nuclear weapon hunt, while crucial, seems less epic than Benjamin's and Janie's prior quests. Their use of magic is more practiced and less wondrous. Nonetheless, secondary characters like Doyle and Jin Lo's friend Ned are gems, and everyone's wanderings somehow collapse back in as neatly as a Chinese fan. For Benjamin and Janie, life holds great meaning. Readers will find much to contemplate in their journey. Pair this with Maggie Stiefvater's "The Raven Cycle" books (Scholastic) for fantasy above the common order.