Leo Lomax isn't like other kids. He has a sound-bending
power that allows him to hear and see the past when he
touches objects. Except his power is changing in scary
ways. An eerie blackness lurks on the edges of his vision,
threatening to swallow him. To top it off, his Uncle Crane
has yanked Leo from his normal school, away from his
friends and brother, and Crane is keeping Leo under
constant surveillance. Crane offers to return Leo's life to
normal and fund a fact-finding mission to investigate the
death of Leo's parents, if Leo will only help him find the
legendary conjoined-twin mask. There is one catch though,
Leo will have to travel to Borneo and steal the mask from
its rightful owners.
THE SHADOW MASK by Lin Oliver and Theo Baker is filled with
thrills, danger, and deception. I loved the attention to
detail in this book through the specificity of objects and
setting. From the nose flutes at the street markets in
Samarinda to the albondigas soup from a New York deli, it's
these small details that help create a vibrant picture of
Leo's world. Seeing the world through Leo's perspective is
fun.
Leo's smart and scared at times, but more importantly, he
refuses to give up. Leo and his brother Hollis both have
unique abilities but they remain refreshingly down-to-earth
and likable. They don't think of themselves as special.
They're regular boys who've lost their parents. They're
scared and hurting, but the world hasn't beaten them; no
matter what their Uncle Crane throws their way. They also
continue to act like brothers. I always love seeing the
various ways siblings are portrayed and Leo and Hollis
capture the brotherly dynamic well. They don't always get
along. They don't always tell each other their secrets, but
when it counts, they have each other's back.
Although written for ten to fourteen year olds, THE SHADOW
MASK is amazingly flexible in appealing to a wider
audience. Have fun reading this with your child. There's
adventure, action, cool settings, and lost treasures to be
discovered!
Leo's cruel and greedy Uncle Crane is forcing him to use his ability to hear
sounds from the past to steal the other half of the mysterious Siamese twin
mask that was once owned by Leo's father--or be separated from his
younger brother forever.
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