The Rise of the House of McNally: The Third Unlikely Exploit (Unlikely Exploits)

First there was The Fall of Fergal, then Heir of Mystery, both deemed Unlikely Exploits by British author Philip Ardagh, creator of the Eddie Dickens trilogy. In the third (and last) installment, readers, especially those new to the series, will be catapulted into chaos in Chapter One as four motley characters escape unseen danger through a time-travel Doughnut; a large earthquake is recorded in Australia; and Le Fay McNally is confronted with the creepy, pumpkin-headed Mr. Maggs, who was thought to have fallen to his death in the previous book. The next chapter introduces the rest of the secretly magical McNally siblings, Fay's twin brothers Albie and Josh, her older sister Jackie (who can transform into a jackal at will), and even Fergal, who died in the first book but who now seems to be a dog. Readers may have trouble trying to make sense of all this even as the author loads up the pages with the back story -- particularly since the novel rewinds and fast-forwards in a deliberately jerky fashion. Perhaps the point is to instead relax and revel in Ardagh's chatty style, wry first-person narrative asides, and vivid character descriptions. David Roberts' quirky black-and-white illustrations suit this time-travel tale to a T. (Ages 9 to 12) --Karin Snelson