Time out of Time: The Telling Stone

Gr 4–7—In this sequel to Beyond the Door (Abrams, 2014), the action picks up right where it left off in the first installment. Sarah is still in her ermine form, Peter is a ferret, and Timothy is back in the Travelers' Market. A battle temporarily defeats Balor, and finally everyone is returned to human form; however, the Dark isn't finished with them yet. They are only briefly back in the real world when they are given a map that they must decode to find the Four Treasures, one of which includes the legendary Stone of Destiny. Once Timothy steps on the stone, he will know whether or not he is the true Filidh. Of course, Balor and the Dark are attempting to secure the map for their own evil purposes. Timothy and Sarah's parents plan a Christmas trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, and it just so happens that Jessica, the school bully who offered some surprising help in the previous volume, needs to tag along. Many new characters are introduced, both to help and to harm the children, most of whom are not what they seem—a plot device that quickly becomes tiresome. The first quarter of this book belongs at the end of the last one and is rushed and choppy. Once the children finally embark on their adventure to Edinburgh, however, the second book finally comes into its own.