Lynn: For fans of the Jackaby series, it has been a long wait since the last installment but it was worth it! The new installment, Rook (Algonquin, 2023), takes place 6 months after the dramatic events of The Dire King (2017). Jackaby’s assistant, Abigail Rook, has acquired all of Jackaby’s extraordinary Sight abilities. Abigail now clearly sees the essential truth of all things, human, supernatural, natural and inanimate, and is struggling to use them effectively. But the city of New Fiddleham can’t wait as a new and more horrifying crisis is gripping the city.

As one gifted magical being after another disappears, Abigail and Jackaby take on the case alongside several other officials who may or may not want to see them succeed. In the city itself, the uneasy alliance between humans and supernatural beings is fraying and Abigail’s shapeshifter fiance, Charlie, is frantically trying to heal the rift.

And then, Abigail’s proper English parents arrive to bundle her back home and marry her to some noble but awful husband. Which crisis will culminate first and will Abigail and Jackaby and friends survive?

It is pure reading joy to be back in the intriguing world of New Fiddleham! William Ritter’s world-building is masterful, the characters deeply engaging and the plot enthralling! It took me only a few minutes to catch up with the situation and then I was off on a whirlwind story. It is always more fun to start at the beginning of a series but I think first-time readers could hop in here and quickly catch up. Ritter’s cast of supernatural creatures is one of the highlights for me, each one more imaginative than the last! Here’s hoping that there are more adventures in this series soon. And if you and your young readers haven’t found this terrific series, get reading!

Cindy: Count me in as a new-to-Jackaby reader who had no problem getting immersed in this world and Ritter’s new story. When Lynn and I worked together we often didn’t read books we knew we’d love in an effort to read a wider variety to booktalk to our students. She had the Jackaby series covered, and our middle school fans were legion. Still, why didn’t she TELL me that I would love this series as much as Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Co. series? Teens with special abilities to save their cities from paranormal entities and snarky humor in spades? Yes, please! She probably did tell me, but I don’t always heed her wise advice. Lesson learned. Now that I’ve read Rook, I’ll be psychically hunting down book one in the series, Jackaby, to start at the beginning.