The Eye of Zoltar

July 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Jennifer Strange, 16, is pretty busy these days, as manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management and Court Mystician for the Kingdom of Snodd. Still, she can't say no when the queen "asks" that she take on the challenge of transforming the obnoxious and spoiled princess (who is switched into the body of a downtrodden orphan by her mother when she refuses to cooperate) into a functional and empathetic leader. Then Jennifer is blackmailed by the most powerful magician ever into a search (not a quest, which is far more expensive) for the almost completely legendary Eye of Zoltar, last seen in the dangerously unbalanced Cambrian Empire, where kidnapping and jeopardy tourism are the main sources of revenue. The odds are definitely not in her favor on this perilous journey with the young but extremely resourceful tour guide, Addie; a rubberized dragon; her rapidly aging beau, Perkins; a vain princess turned undernourished orphan; and mysterious heroes and wastrels of various sorts. The ever-resourceful Jennifer must reach deep into her bag of mental and emotional reserves to battle strange magic and survive terrible loss. This installment is darker than the first two outings and contains a Grand Canyon-sized cliff-hanger of an ending. Fans of strong, brave, intelligent females will root for Jennifer and her gang, and wait impatiently for the next book.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
The powerful wizard the Mighty Shandar is once again threatening the lives of the last dragons; to spare them, practical, down-to-earth Jennifer Strange, teenage manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management, accepts his challenge. She must find the Eye of Zoltar, said to be on the forbidding, mist-shrouded peak of Cadir Idris in the Cambrian Empire (otherwise known as "the land that health and safety forgot"). Jennifer and her traveling companions -- Perkins the sorcerer; "Laura Scrubb," a spoiled princess inhabiting the body of a maidservant; and a dragon who has been temporarily turned to rubber -- sign up with a tour guide who promises a "low" fifty-percent fatality rate. Fforde sustains the high quality of absurdity, wit, and literary inventiveness already evident in the series, not just with bons mots ("Honor is kind of what you get when you weaponize manners") and bizarre situations but also with a richness of characterization that deepens all bit parts (such as Once Magnificent Boo) as well as our formidable hero, Jennifer herself. Fforde's comic genius is such that he can poke fun at fantasy's generic tropes ("A quest always demanded the death of a trusted friend") and, at the same time, make them work for him. Thoroughly satisfying. deirdre f. baker

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2014
Grades 6-9 What starts out as an ordinary day for Jenny Strange, manager of Kazam Magical Arts and official Court Mystician, turns into a desperate journey when she travels into the neighboring Cambrian Empire to locate the Eye of Zoltar, a goose-egg-sized ruby. It is a dangerous assignment, and she is aided by her colleague (and date), the Wizard Perkins, a rubber dragon, and the Crown Princess of Snodd, who has been transferred into the body of a Royal Dog Mess Removal Operative by her mother as a lesson in humility. Fforde peoples this third installment of the Chronicles of Kazam with his signature wacky eccentrics, and the plot is wildly entertainingand a bit easier to follow than The Song of the Quarkbeast (2013). Throughout, the snark quotient is high, encompassing everything from financial speculations on princess and goat futures to a devotional visit to the Patron Saint of Fading Relevance. Fans will laugh all the way to the last page and will be happy to hear there is more absurdity to come.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The Chronicles of Kazam titles are worldwide best-sellers, and the blockbuster marketing plan for this latest installment will only fan the flames.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

August 15, 2014
Jennifer Strange's latest adventure isn't a quest, but that's only because quests require approval from the Questing Federation. Everyone needs Jennifer's help: Once Magnificent Boo has been arrested in the Cambrian Empire and needs the wizard agency Kazam to pay her ransom; Queen Mimosa needs Jennifer to educate (reform) the spoiled crown princess; and even the Mighty Shandar has an errand for Jennifer. Since Jennifer thwarted Shandar's plan to render the dragons extinct (The Last Dragonslayer, 2012), he technically owes his clients a refund-and Shandar doesn't do refunds. Either he will exterminate the dragons (and Kazam with them, as Kazam will try to protect them), or Jennifer must retrieve a powerful mystical item for him, the Eye of Zoltar. Rumor puts the Eye of Zoltar in the Cambrian Empire, so Jennifer can educate the princess, save Boo and retrieve the Eye in one trip. The Cambrian economy depends on "jeopardy tourism," but their destination is so dangerous that even the risk tours don't list it. Luckily, they secure the services of an ace guide and are on their way through various puns and perils. The princess's naturally paced development entertains, especially her passion for economics (never before have options and the stock market been so much fun). The Cambrian wackiness eventually ties together in a cohesive conspiracy, and the ending cliffhanger will agonize fans-but in a good way. Well-plotted, intelligent hilarity. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.