Review Detail

In this second book of the Mabel Jones series, the eponymous heroine sets off on a quest to the Noo World to rescue her baby sister, Maggie. An evil witch has taken Maggie to lure Mabel to her. The witch wants Mabel’s body to replace her own so that she can finally be “hooman.”

Noo World exists in a future where humans no longer exist, but the remnants of their civilization—buildings and plenty of skeletons and such—are still around. Animals still inhabit the world, and they talk, work, dress, and live as the humans of the past did. Mabel has visited Noo World before (the first book in the series), but readers don’t need the background from that book to thoroughly enjoy this new adventure.

MABEL JONES AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY is full of humor and adventure geared toward eight- to twelve-year-olds, but it’s engaging for YA and adult readers too and it would be great to read aloud. Mabel is spunky, her friends are fun, and the villains are despicable. Noo World is well thought out and the perfect setting for many more tales to come, and the ending of this second book ensures that readers will have more opportunities to spend time with Mabel.

I really liked this book. It’s scary, but fun, and thought has been put into all aspects of the book: the fonts and illustrations play into the narrative perfectly and help build the excitement of the quest to rescue Maggie.

I highly recommend MABEL JONES AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY, and I’ll be picking up a copy of the first book for myself, recommending the series to middle grades readers, and looking forward to more from the author and illustrator.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review.