Book
Ring of fire
Record details
- ISBN: 9780375857959 (pbk. also 2009 Yearling pbk.)
- ISBN: 9780375858956 (hc)
-
Physical Description:
print
293 p., [16] p. of plates : col. ill., col. maps ; 23 cm. - Edition: 1st American ed.
- Publisher: New York : Random House, 2009.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Originally published as: L'Anello di Fuoco by Edizione Piemme, Casale Monferrato, Italy, c2006. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Good and evil -- Juvenile fiction Rome (Italy) -- Juvenile fiction Italy -- Juvenile fiction |
| Genre: | Mystery fiction. |
Search for related items by series
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Parkland Regional.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Other Formats and Editions
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary | J F BA (Text) | 35419001941252 | Junior Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2009 September #1
Four kids (all with February 29 birthdays) who find themselves in Rome are thrust into a once-in-a-century fight against evil in this first title in a new series, adeptly translated from the Italian. Elettra's family owns the overbooked hotel that brings the group together. She plays with mirrors and light, and each of the other kidsâNew Yorker Harvey, Parisian Mistral, and Sheng from Shanghaiâ has other quirks. A mysterious briefcase entrusted to their care sets in motion a few days of sleuthing, kidnapping, puzzle solving, and wild adventure. On their trail is a vile professional killer named Jacob Mahler. The adult secondary characters are originals, but the initially stereotyped children ("the Chinese boy" with his hair cut with a bowl) begin to emerge as individuals as the story progresses. With allusions to Nero and the burning of Rome in this installment, it would make sense for future titles to continue on to the children's other hometowns and feature the remaining elements of water, wind, and earth. A color insert filled with maps, photos, and graphic details adds a nice touch. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2010 Spring
As a new century approaches, circumstance brings a mysterious briefcase into the possession of Harvey, Mistral, Sheng, and Elettra. After its owner is murdered, the four learn they are this century's guardians of the map inside. Though there's not a lot of depth or character development and the present-tense narration is clunky, the story's layers of secrets and cliffhangers create a page-turner. Copyright 2010 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2009 August #1
When four 12-year-olds, all born on February 29th, meet by coincidence in an Italian hotel, readers should expect mayhem to ensueâand they won't be disappointed. The fourâItalian Elettra, American Harvey, Chinese Sheng and French Mistralâmeet an obviously frightened older man who passes them a briefcase, begs them to keep it safe and hurries off, leaving the kids to chase around Rome looking for a mysterious artifact called the Ring of Fire. In this first of a planned four-book series, plot rules all and shortcuts abound. Characters rarely rise above type while genre tropes propel the story. However, the plot is masterful, with cliffhangers galore, a fair amount of violence and an ending that both satisfies and whets the appetite for more. The full-color insert bound into the center of the book is terrific: Maps, photos, drawings and reproductions set the scene and help readers to visualize the plot. Give this book to Horowitz readers and fans of Michael Scott's The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and prepare for another onslaught of readers. (Adventure. 11-14) Copyright Kirkus 2009 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2009 September #1
In this first book in the Century Quartet, Baccalario offers an uneven tale of four children discovering their crucial roles in an event of global proportions. When 12-year-old Elettra's father mixes up the reservations at her family's hotel in Rome, she is forced to share her room with Harvey, Sheng and Mistral (visiting from America, China and France, respectively), who all share the same birthday. After they inadvertently cause a blackout across Rome, the new friends head out into the city, where an encounter with a doomed old man lands them a briefcase full of clues, hints about their shared destiny and the attention of Mahler, a ruthless killer armed with a magical violin. As the children crisscross Rome to unravel the puzzle, they are fed information about the secret history of the world and the momentous events that they have been chosen to be part of. The children feel underdeveloped and have basically been reduced to the role of pawns of fate and of the adults who are manipulating them, but there are some genuinely exciting moments and the premise is intriguing. Ages 10â13. (Sept.)
[Page 47]. Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2009 November
Gr 5â9âOnce in every century, four children are called upon to save the world. When two boys and two girls, all 12 years old, and all born on February 29th, meet at the same hotel in Rome, what seems to be an unlikely coincidence soon takes on a more sinister aspect. A terrified man gives them a mysterious briefcase and is found brutally murdered the next morning. Ominous strangers trail them through the streets in an attempt to retrieve the map and notes hidden in the briefcase, and the children begin to manifest paranormal abilities. The suspenseful plot and action-packed pages are somewhat marred by a jumbled excess of characters and convoluted storytelling, and readers may want to invest in a map of Rome and a dictionary, but sophisticated readers who make it to the climactic ending will be clamoring for the next books in the series. A colored inset of maps, notes, and pictures is included.âJane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
[Page 100]. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
