The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse: 05/10/20

The Doldrums and the Helmsley Curse by Nicholas Gannon is the sequel to the The Doldrums (2015). Archer B. Hemlsley has gotten word that his grandparents, long lost and assumed dead, are returning. A freak blizzard, though, has convinced the town that the Helmsleys are cursed.

Archer who had been basically stuck save for time at the local school is now off at boarding school. The change in location is the consequence of Oliver's adventure at the museum in the previous book.

The school as one can expect in this type of book is terrible. It's corrupt and it's dangerous. It also has ties to the explorers club. It's also revealed that the explorers club has a similar sway over the way the town works as the mapmakers do in Nagspeake.

As with the previous volume, Nicholas Gannon did all the illustrations. He also recently did the illustrations for Wendy Mass's Bob.

This book is best suited for fans of:

• Greenglass House by Kate Milford (2014)
• Ottoline Goes to School by Chris Riddell (2008)
• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (2018)

Four stars

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