Gr 4-6 The second installment of the series, in which regular kid Owen meets Bethany, a half-fictional girl who can travel into and out of books, starts out with a bang and an explosion. Owen and Kiel, who's a fictional character from Owen's favorite series, wake up inside of a mysteryOwen's least favorite genre. Bethany is nowhere to be found, though a strange kid in a Sherlock Holmes hat claims that she is in great danger if Owen and Kiel can't figure out the mystery of where she is and why. Unfortunately, the pair face several problems: Kiel has lost his magical powers, the mysterious kid has blown up the library, the police are after Owen, and neither of them can remember anything that happened before they woke up. Owen has to face his worst fears and courageously save his friends in this lively sequel that will keep even the most reluctant readers on the edge of their seats. VERDICT A must-buy where there are fans of the first book. Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix

Owen and Bethany are back in this twisty, mystery-filled follow-up to Story Thieves (2015). Cleverly starting several chapters in, Riley begins with Owen and Kiel, who have had their memories wiped and must save Bethany from drowning in exactly 90 minutes. Readers will be just as confounded as the heroes as they try to figure out what's happening in the real world is it the fictional world? Riley includes many clever nods to classics, and in the metaliterary narrative, Bethany and Owen discover that Story Thieves, the first volume in the series, is being published in the fictional world and that an author, James Riley, is mysteriously writing about their adventures. Can Owen and Bethany stop all the fantasy madness before fiction takes over real life? The search is still on for Bethany's missing father, ensuring further volumes, and the twists and turns in this volume are sure to keep readers coming back for more.