For 11-year-old Jin Sparks, watching active baby brother Kai lled "Smiler" challenging enough, but keeping Smiler, his family, and even London safe from a terrifying, beastly creature is something else entirely. Troubles begin when a mysterious mudball belonging to the Sparks' neighbor breaks open and a long-dormant, vicious, African legend-folktale monster, Zilombo, is released and escapes. Soon, imposing, intrepid, eye-patch-wearing ancient-artifacts inspector A. J. Zauyamakanda, aka "Mizz Z," arrives from Africa. She, Jin, and his feisty, goth-dressing, graffiti-tagging older sister, Frankie, set off to capture Zilombo, who is growing progressively more powerful d more hungry, with a penchant for eating babies. And Smiler is on her radar. Can Jin, Mizz Z, and Frankie stop Zilombo before it's too late? Originally published in Great Britain in 2011, this first Artifact Inspector title incorporates plenty of suspense, droll touches, and shivery chills. Though the characters' alternating narratives sometimes blur, Jin is a likable, everyday kid who must use his wits and courage to protect his loved ones and city in an entertaining, fast-moving read.

Jin surprises his elderly neighbor into knocking a mudball off her dresser that hatches a beast, kicking off a great adventure. With the help of Mizz Z, Chief Inspector of Ancient Artifacts, Jin must find the London-roving monster Zilombo to save his baby brother and possibly the whole world. Gates offers a quick, family-centric, very unusual fantasy featuring a memorable multicultural cast.

The first in the planned Artifact Inspector series offers readers an African folk tale set in contemporary London with a Chinese-English protagonist suffering from dyspraxia. It is multiculturalism in the extreme. Unfortunately, while it has diversity in spades, the story itself is difficult to follow, and the third-person narrative fails to muster readers' rapt attention. Eleven-year-old Jin can hardly believe his eyes when a mysterious ball of mud rolls into a stream and hatches a fearsome monster. Things go from bad to worse when the creature drags Jin's baby brother into her sewage-pipe lair. Fortunately, Jin is not alone in his quest to save his brother. When Mizz Z, chief inspector for the Risk Assessment Agency for Ancient Artifacts, shows up and discovers that Zilombo is free, she joins forces with Jin to save the baby and return the monster to the safety of her dried-up mudball. One of the novel's greatest shortcomings is that the description of Zilombo is so complex. It's next to impossible to imagine what this creature actually looks like, which pulls readers out of the story as they attempt to reconcile all of Zilombo's mismatched parts. This combines with a glut of frustratingly two-dimensional characters for a rather ho-hum read. Unfortunately, it's a little like watching mud dry; here's hoping future installments have more zip. (Adventure. 8-12)

Gr 4-6 For 20 years, an ancient child-stealing creature, Zilombo, has been dormant, kept safely imprisoned in her mudball. According to legend, as long as the mud stays dry, the beast will sleep. Now, however, the monster is loose-and hungry! After Zilombo snatches Jin Sparks's baby brother, 11-year-old Jin joins Ancient Artifacts Inspector A. J. Zauyamakanda (Mizz Z for short) to help track the creature down. Unfortunately, the mud being has survived for millions of years and becomes stronger each time she revives. She has gained new abilities since Mizz Z last encountered her in Malawi two decades ago-a collapsible skeleton lets her squeeze into tight corners and she has a deadly electric shock like a stingray. However, she also seems to have acquired a tiny spark of conscience and even a vague yearning for companionship. Does Zilombo want baby Smiler as a pet-or as lunch? It can be challenging to follow the plot of this British import as the viewpoint switches frequently from one character to another. Jin and Zilombo are the most clearly defined. Diagnosed with dyspraxia ("clumsy child syndrome"), Jin nevertheless is a strong and courageous boy whose creative problem-solving skills will appeal to readers. Zilombo is caught between her predatory nature and a dawning humanity, and the conflict gives her an unusual depth. However, the dialogue doesn't always flow smoothly and there are some awkward expressions. An additional choice for monster fans. Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL