An old curse and untapped magic lead a boy on a worldwide quest to save his aunt.Ever since 13-year-old Shinji Takahashi's parents died, he and his Aunt Yui have lived a life that includes months of travels, hunting for unique items for her shop in Miami. While floating down the Zambezi River, Shinji comes upon a mysterious shop with a small figurine of a Coatl, or mythical feathered serpent, that seems to be calling to him. But after he buys it, Shinji is kidnapped and held captive by the Hightower Corporation in New York City. Aunt Yui is nowhere to be seen-and the Coatl figurine has transformed itself into a tattoo on Shinji's arm. A Hightower villain informs him that it brings with it a deadly curse. Meanwhile, young prodigy Lucy, who has been working for the corporation, appears in Shinji's room in the middle of the night: After overhearing Hightower's evil plans for him, she decides to help him break out. Lucy suggests reaching out to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Hightower's archrivals, for help returning the Coatl to its original temple and finding Shinji's aunt. This intriguing venture builds to a compelling climax. One question that remains unanswered is why Japanese American Shinji, who has no Mesoamerican heritage, is chosen by the Coatl to be its rescuer; perhaps this will be resolved in the next entry in this new series.An action-packed fantasy containing a surprising twist. (Fantasy. 9-12)

In Kagawa-s (the Iron Fey series) fantasy, based on a fictional society created by Walt Disney Imagineering, sardonic Shinji Takahashi, of Japanese descent, lives with his aunt Yui in Miami following his parents- death, and each year accompanies her on -treasure hunts- around the world to source wares for her store. Since the 13-year-old would prefer to be playing a quest-oriented video game, he-s sent on an IRL quest during this year-s trip down the Zambezi River, and soon comes across a new-to-him part of a market, and a valuable figurine-the Coatl-that -calls for- him. When a group attempts to steal the statue, Shinji inadvertently absorbs it, becoming its guardian-and gaining a new tattoo and potentially fatal curse. Kidnapped and taken to N.Y.C.-s Hightower Corporation, a company interested in acquiring magical artifacts, he meets fellow 13-year-old Lucy Smith, a white-cued tech prodigy who helps him escape. The two then make their way to the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, whose mission is to -preserve the past and the wonders of ancient cultures- while working to -restore and return- artifacts they previously stole, and then to Mexico City, where Shinji must return the idol before the curse takes its toll. Employing classic heist tropes, this high-speed adventure with well-plotted twists sets up the series while considering exploration-s colonial implications. Ages 8-12. Agent: Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary. (Apr.)