Wing & Claw #2: Cavern of Secrets - Hardcover

Park, Linda Sue

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062327410 ISBN 13: 9780062327413

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2017

Synopsis

In the second installment of the spellbinding Wing & Claw series, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park takes a young apothecary hero to new heights of danger, exciting adventure, and intriguing botanical magic.

Raffa Santana has spent all winter hiding in the harsh wilderness of the Sudden Mountains, and now it’s time to return home. Home, where his parents will help him fight back against the vile Chancellor who has captured and altered the wild creatures of the Forest of Wonders. Home, where Raffa’s beloved companion, Echo the bat, will recover from his mysterious sickness.

To get there, Raffa must make a treacherous journey across Obsidia. Along the way, he will discover a luminous plant that might be the key to saving the creatures stuck in the Chancellor’s grasp… if only Raffa can unlock the plant’s secrets and deliver the cure to the captive animals.

Cavern of Secrets masterfully explores one boy’s responsibility to his friends, family, and the wider world.

About this title

About the Author

Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner for A Single Shard and #1 New York Times bestseller for A Long Walk to Water, is the renowned author of picture books and novels for young readers. She lives in Western New York. Learn more at lindasuepark.com.

From the Back Cover

Raffa Santana has spent all winter hiding in the cold wilderness of the Sudden Mountains, and now it’s time to return home. Home, where his parents will help him fight back against the vile Chancellor, who has captured the wild creatures of the Forest of Wonders. Home, where Raffa’s beloved companion, Echo the bat, will recover from his mysterious sickness.

To get there, Raffa and his friends must journey across Obsidia, traverse treacherous terrain, and evade the Chancellor’s guards. Along the way, Raffa will discover a luminous plant unlike anything he’s seen before. His powerful intuition as an apothecary tells him that the strange botanical might be the key to saving the creatures stuck in the Chancellor’s grasp . . . if only Raffa can unlock the plant’s secrets and deliver the cure to the captive animals.

The second installment in Linda Sue Park’s spellbinding Wing & Claw trilogy masterfully explores one boy’s responsibility to his friends, family, and the wider world.

Reviews

Gr 5–8—In this second installment, readers pick up again with protagonist Raffa Santana. Having successfully led the escape of a very special bear, Roo, from government captors with terrible ambitions, Raffa and company hide out in the woods through winter. This time, they are on a quest to get back into the governmental hub of Gilden in an attempt to foil all of the devious and dastardly plans that the Chancellor has in store for their homeland. On their way, the group must make perilous stops at their respective homes and deal with the results of their actions. The real magic in this book comes from the personal relationships that Park crafts. The characters see the consequences that their actions had on their families, which imbues the narrative with a true level of realism and emotion. All of the things that made readers fall in love with the first volume, from Raffa's apothecary to Kuma's way with animals to Echo's quirky dialogue, are back in full force. The story is effectively paced and well told. The ending does little to wrap up the adventure but still leaves fans at an acceptable stopping point in Raffa's journey. VERDICT An excellent follow-up in a strong new fantasy series; ideal for most middle grade collections.—Chad Lane, Tulip Grove Elementary School, MD

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062327410
• ISBN 13: 9780062327413
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Madsen Jim
• Number of pages: 320