(3) 4-6 Accidental Adventure series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. When Oliver and Celia Navel's mother goes missing, the TV-loving twins are once again reluctantly pulled into an adventure. This time it is a voyage through the Pacific, where they face pirates, a volcano, and, of course, a giant squid. This third book continues with the series' fast pace, humorous dialogue, and occasional line drawings, creating an engaging journey of fun and peril.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 4-6 Archer Legacy series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Sudden billionaire Gerald continues to find his unexpected wealth comes with clues to even greater treasures...and cruel rivals. Framed for the death of one rival, Gerald embarks on a quest to clear his name and ends up elucidating his family's ancient, supernatural secret. This concluding installment maintains the trilogy's balance of mystery, magical realism, and humorous banter.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Accidental Adventure series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. In their second story, couch potatoes Oliver and Celia Navel take a trip to the Amazon (with a reality TV star) to find their missing explorer parents and the Lost Library of Alexandria. Despite a questionable cover and title, London consistently subverts stereotypes (spoiler: the cannibals aren't cannibals). His reluctant heroes are resourceful and engaging, their adventures well-paced and perilous.

Reviewer: Bec Schaffner

(3) 4-6 Archer Legacy series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Recently minted kid billionaire Gerald Wilkins (The Billionaire's Curse) knows that his legacy includes secrecy and danger. Now he learns new information that sends him to India on a search for one of three powerful caskets. This installment has plenty of action, and it spends enough time on characters' relationships to make readers care about the story's outcome.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Archer Legacy series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. A great-aunt Gerald never met leaves him twenty billion pounds and a note telling him to find her murderer. Threats from greedy strangers put Gerald on a search for a diamond casket whose importance he doesn't understand. The story's climax portends more mystery in later volumes. Gerald functions well as a normal kid mystified by his circumstances.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Silver-tongued Marcus spins a rousing tale of how he came to possess Incitatus, beloved steed of Emperor "Gaius" (think vicious tyrant Caligula). "Take care of him," says the slave who hands Incitatus over just before being summarily dispatched. Marcus's ensuing escape on horseback is engrossingly eventful on its way to the story’s just conclusion. Plenty of pen-and-ink spot illustrations keep the tone light.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(3) 4-6 Awfully Beastly Business series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Ulf the werewolf and his beast friends journey to the jungle to complete one of the late Professor Farraway's quests: searching for a vampire. But Baron Marackai has no intention of letting them succeed--or letting the vampire survive. As usual, the series balances dark situations with absurdity. Angular pen-and-ink illustrations play up the story's humor.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Awfully Beastly Business series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Ulf the werewolf and his beast-protecting friends are back. Unfortunately, so are Blud, Bone, and Baron Marackai, and this time, troll-hunting is their game. The book takes the usually reviled beasts' welfare seriously but provides plenty of funny adventures along the way to their rescue. Pen-and-ink drawings effectively combine the humorous with the sinister.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Awfully Beastly Business series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. In Dragon, werewolf Ulf and friends must prevent wicked Baron Marackai from pitting supernatural beasts against one other in deadly battles. In Delicacies, the monster heroes must save sea creatures from becoming dinner. These books effectively and humorously put new spins on familiar "monstrous" creatures. Spindly pen-and-ink illustrations add to the stories' comically creepy mood. Review covers these Awfully Beastly Business titles: Sea Monsters and Other Delicacies and Werewolf Versus Dragon.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Awfully Beastly Business series. Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. In Dragon, werewolf Ulf and friends must prevent wicked Baron Marackai from pitting supernatural beasts against one other in deadly battles. In Delicacies, the monster heroes must save sea creatures from becoming dinner. These books effectively and humorously put new spins on familiar "monstrous" creatures. Spindly pen-and-ink illustrations add to the stories' comically creepy mood. Review covers these Awfully Beastly Business titles: Sea Monsters and Other Delicacies and Werewolf Versus Dragon.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jonny Duddle & Robert Dress. Addressing an otherwise unnamed "sir," a street urchin spins a lively yarn. The beggar fends off would-be horse thieves--who evaporate when soldiers appear saying the mare is highwayman Dick Turpin's Black Bess. However, a clever concluding twist casts the boy's whole ingratiating tale into delicious doubt. The narrative, rich in language, is told with panache. Comical, detailed sketches show the story's Dickensian denizens.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009