In the second installment of the Century Quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario continues the mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

Four kids. A wooden top. And four postcards with secret instructions.

New York City, March 15
Another mysterious artifact reunites Harvey from New York, Elettra from Rome, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai in their attempt to save the world. When they meet people who knew Alfred Van Der Berger, the murdered professor who sent them on their quest in Rome, they realize that the challenge is far from over. And when they discover a series of four postcards written in code years ago by the professor himself, their destiny becomes even clearer.

The cards send the kids all over New York City, through old libraries and abandoned tunnels, in search of the Star of Stone, an ancient object fundamentally connected to the earth. But a new set of villains, predators of Manhattan nightlife, will do anything to stop them.... **

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-9–This second book in the series reunites the four children who need to save the world, this time bringing them together in Harvey's home city of New York. When Harvey realizes that he is being followed and in danger, he is joined by his friends Elettra, Mistral, and Sheng, and they attempt to follow the clues left by mysterious professor Alfred Van Der Berger, learning more about their huge task and meeting new allies and enemies. Readers will be intrigued by the Manhattan setting, the clues and codes, and the sense of danger and urgency that follows the characters through their adventures. A 16-page full-color section in the middle of the book provides maps, pictures, and additional enigmatic clues. The translation maintains a consistently tense tone. Relationships continue to develop as the characters learn more about their once-in-a-century task and the group that preceded them, providing realism and balance to the many all-out-action scenes.–Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WIα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author

Pierdomenico Baccalario was born in Acqui Terme, a beautiful little town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. He grew up in the middle of the woods with his three dogs and his black bicycle.

He started writing in high school. When lessons got particularly boring, he’d pretend he was taking notes, but he was actually coming up with stories. He also met a group of friends who were crazy about role-playing games, and with them he invented and explored dozens of fantastic worlds.

He studied law at university but kept writing and began publishing novels. After he graduated, he also worked with museums and cultural projects, trying to make dusty old objects tell interesting stories. He began to travel and change horizons: Celle Ligure, Pisa, Rome, Verona...

He loves seeing new places and discovering new lifestyles, although, in the end, he always returns to the comfort of familiar ones.

From the Hardcover edition.