Gr 5-9-In present-day London, strange things start happening around Zanna: dogs stop to stare at her, birds circle her head. Then, she and her friend Deeba find themselves in an alternate reality where obsolete objects such as old typewriters eventually "seep" and strange people and creatures dwell, including sentient "unbrellas." The girls learn that Zanna is the chosen one, the "shwazzy," of UnLondon. However, her first fight with the nefarious Smog isn't what was predicted in the book of prophecies. The girls soon end up back in London with Zanna unable to recall their time away. Alone in the memory, Deeba pieces together the Smog's plot and finds a way back to UnLondon via library stacks. Readers soon realize that sometimes the chosen one doesn't get to save a city, and that sometimes steps in a preordained quest don't come out as planned. Mieville's fantastical city is vivid and splendidly crafted. Who would have thought a milk carton could make such an endearing pet? Or that words, or utterlings, could have a life and form of their own? Fans of Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002) or Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (Knopf, 1961) will love this novel. The story is exceptional and the action moves along at a quick pace. Given that the girls are 12, older readers might be put off, but it is well worth selling to them.-Nancy Kunz, Tuckahoe Public Library, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Acclaimed fantasist Mieville's first foray into youth literature starts predictably but progresses to match his reputation. The overlong first section, in which two girls (chosen Zanna and sidekick Deeba) travel to UnLondon, a dream-logic London (houses made of obsolete technology; walking bushes; feral giraffes) where sentient smog threatens the populace, will entice imaginations. Unfortunately, it is also too reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's work (particularly MirrorMask ). Zanna fails and has her memory wiped, but Deeba can't forget their adventures, especially when she discovers the threat is worse than anyone thought. She returns to UnLondon, flouting destiny and distressing all, especially the talking book of prophecy, which becomes highly and comically insecure. Deeba must journey through this truly fantastic world, with no guidance except her own wits. Intrigue with London officials, a half-ghost ally and fighting "unbrellas" all play a role, as does a definite but not heavy-handed message about pollution and the environment. Ultimately, this is a compelling tale of heroism from someone foretold as merely "the funny one," and a well-evoked dreamscape that readers will embrace. (Fantasy. 10+)

Two London girls have discovered a secret: If one climbs the right bookcase, twists the right handle, and follows the right umbrella, one can slip into the dark shadow of London, into the city where lost gloves and useless typewriters take a second shot at life. There Zanna and Deeba meet a half-ghost, a conductor of more than public transport, and the oddest tailor ever. Together they will face one of London's forgotten monsters, a creature that has spent decades nursing its hatred. To save London, these girls will have to fight for its twisted mirror image: Unlondon. At a time when the market is glutted with rehashes of fair, young, chosen ones marching to victory, each of them guaranteed success by reassuring, vaguely narcissistic prophecies, this accomplished author's first young adult novel is a wonderful surprise. Instead of minting kings or saviors, MiÚville imagines a tween who wins because she outthinks prophecy. The novel is stuffed with imagination, and its vivid, tangible setting is patrolled by bizarre, even funny monsters. The creatures and puzzles represent serious challenges, and success over them always has a cost. The climactic scenes are rendered with real gravity; although the solutions to the friends' struggles are always within the logic of the magical world, things look very hopeless indeed right up to the moment of victory. The plot is driven by the threat of becoming one more forgotten thing in the eclectic streets of Unlondon, but the tone is brightened by the small kindnesses and sincere friendships forged amidst-and sometimes with-the rubbish. The result is a dark, charming, robust, comical adventure played according to new rules.-Joe Sutliff Sanders.