Gr 6-9 Moriarty ably wraps up the many plot threads woven through this concluding volume. Elliot and his father, reunited at the end of The Cracks in the Kingdom , are brought back to the magical kingdom of Cello, and it seems Madeleine's involvement with the parallel world has come to an end. But worsening nosebleeds and visions of another century plague Madeleine, while back in Cello, Elliot is being held captive by a dangerous group who want to overthrow the monarchy Elliot, Madeleine, and the Royal Youth Alliance have been working so hard to restore. This tale concurrently presents a multitude of stories in three settings (Madeleine's world, Elliot's hometown, and Elliot's Hostile prison), and teens may feel overwhelmed by the large cast, multiple locations, and intertwining plotlines. Yet despite the complexity, the story works, zigging and zagging in pleasantly surprising ways. The magic continues to be refreshingly inventive, and the world-building is so precise readers will easily picture the lands of Cello in their minds. Elliot and Madeleine are characters to cherish. The sweetly satisfying conclusion will leave fans with a smile. VERDICT This final installment will garner even more followers for the inventive, exciting series. Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT

Moriarty brings the Colors of Madeleine trilogy to a satisfying conclusion, incorporating Isaac Newton, Antonio Vivaldi, Leonardo da Vinci, space and time travel, dreams that are really memories, and secret identities d yet it all seems quite logical. Madeleine, bereft at separating from her Cellian soul mate, Elliot, attempts to help members of the missing Royal Family navigate their way from our world to their own beleaguered Kingdom. Much is amiss in Cello: color storms continue to rage, the Hostiles are trying to destroy the Family, and the World Severance Unit is endeavoring to stop all transit between worlds. Elliot is kidnapped by Hostiles and begins questioning everything he has ever known about what constitutes good governance. Readers may find themselves slowing down to savor Moriarty's distinctive language and humor in this final outing. This remains a series unlike any other, with frequent pockets of beautiful imagery and a unique rhythm all its own.

With marvelous surprises and her usual perfect timing and panache, Moriarty's final book in a trilogy set in two worlds is jam-packed with secret identities revealed and talents discovered. An alluring mix of fantasy, humor, coming-of-age, romance, history, mystery, and political intrigue, Moriarty bends (and blends) genres the way the good people of Nature Strip, in the Kingdom of Cello, bend Colors.