New Lands by Geoff Rodkey

“Lemony Snicket meets Pirates of the Caribbean, with a sprinkling of Tom Sawyer for good measure.”—Rick Riordan, bestselling author After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies—against which our heroes' only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue. They're going to need help. But who can they trust? Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side…or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple?

In the middle book of this trilogy, Egg and his new pal Guts find themselves on an adventure southward to new lands. Egg has memorized a symbol map to an old tribes mythical treasure. They meet up with characters new and old and Egg gets into some seriously dangerous predicaments. I read this book aloud to my daughter – it took a while only because the nightly reading routine has been a lot more sporadic of late. I am nearing the end of an era. Although, not yet. My daughter has informed me that I will be reading the third book to her (just as soon as it released in paperback – this April.)

Since I was so very charmed by Geoff Rodkey's first installment in the Chronicles of Egg series, I couldn't wait to read New Lands! I was looking forward to more adventures, and greatly hoping that some of my questions from the last book would be answered. I was nervous as I turned the first page.

Luckily, I had nothing to worry about. New Lands turned out to be just as quirky and enjoyable as its predecessor. Rodkey reintroduces our faithful travelling companions and then, best of all, gives us some new ones to fall in love with. What I loved about this book was how much more in-depth the reader is allowed to see into the characters. Egg, Millicent, and even Guts, each begin to grow up right before our eyes.

Egg especially comes into his own during the course of this book. His new, mature attitude makes a definite impact on his travels this time. He finally begins to understand that he doesn't need to lean on his family for support, but that his strength comes from within. Rodkey allows Egg the perfect balance between childishness and adulthood, making for a beautiful adventure.

Rich with new lands (no pun intended) and problems to face, this is a very fast moving book. Whether it's chasing ancient weapons, battling curses, or figuring out who might be a traitor, Egg and his companions never have a moment's rest. Although this series is a bit darker than I expected, it is absolutely well written. I can't wait to see what happens next!