FICTION

The Metropolitans

368p. ebook available. Viking. Mar. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781101997666.
COPY ISBN
Gr 4–7—A work of historical fiction set during World War II. Madge McGrary doesn't know where she belongs anymore. After moving in with her aunt Jean when her mother died, Madge does her best to stay out from underfoot. When her Sunday afternoon takes her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madge, along with Joe, Kiku, and Walt, encounters a very peculiar, if not a bit eccentric, curator named Dr. Dashwood Bean. Dr. Bean entrusts the four children with an important mission: locate the missing Kelmsbury Manuscript, an ancient volume of Arthurian legends, which has been hidden somewhere in the library. With the Kelmsbury's help and a little bit of magic as well, the kids begin to act as though they are the real Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, and King Arthur. And they are the only thing standing against a successful attack by the Nazis that could kill millions—even as that which brought them together threatens to tear them apart. In an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones or Allan Quatermain, the action unfolds at a page-turning pace.
VERDICT A strong female protagonist, a great supporting cast, a timeless myth, and the undercurrent of World War II combine for an engaging and memorable tale. A solid choice for book clubs.

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