THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES
written by S. Jones Rogan
illustrated by Christian Slade
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375856020
Ages 8-12
304 pages
Things have quieted down for Penhaligon Brush. It has been three seasons since he and his friends saved the seaside village of Porthleven from the dastardly Sir Derek, and now the retiring fox is content to work at his apothecary shop and spend time with his vixen and their adopted cubs. But when Donald, one of the cubs, comes down with the dreaded Febra lupi, better known as the Curse of the Romany Wolves, Penhaligon once again must set out for adventure and face danger in order to save those he loves.
In THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES, the healing skills of Penhaligon and his partner Rowan are put to the test when they try to cure Donald of the horrible disease they thought was extinct. Penhaligon must leave Porthleven in search of the crucial ingredient for the medicine, leaving Rowan to tend the cub. When the townsfolk find out the Curse is amongst them again, old prejudices against wolves resurface, and things are only made more complicated when other young creatures, not even wolf cubs, begin to show symptoms.
As Rowan and a few kind friends tend to the sick in Porthleven, Penhaligon and his friend Hotchi try to find passage to spooky Howling Island, the only place they know of where the much-needed stony lunacrop grows. After missing the ship that was supposed to take them, Penhaligon and Hotchi, along with the stowaway cub Dora, sail on the creaky Jagged Claw captained by the sly Elgato Furrari. The Porthleven trio is wary but safe until an old villain appears: Captain Dredge of the Black Shriek. Little does he know that his greed and treachery will lead Penhaligon not only to the curative ingredients he needs, but to a wolf on Howling Island who can finally tell him the truth about his parents.
S. Jones Rogan's second Penhaligon Brush story is even better than the first. It is another fine adventure full of good guys outsmarting bad guys, and bad guys turning out to be not so bad after all. Penhaligon is a reluctant (and therefore more interesting) hero, and his trip to Howling Island and his encounters with sea serpents prove you cannot judge a creature on the basis of myths and rumors. The pace is exciting and the chapters are quite long, perfect for confident readers. Christian Slade's illustrations well capture the characters and are perfectly suited to Rogan's tale.
In the end, THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES is about family and community, identity and selflessness. But young readers will really appreciate the page-turning, cliff-hanging, high-sea sailing, magical creature emprise.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
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