The fate of Artimé is at stake—and an unlikely alliance could redeem it—in book three in the New York Times bestselling Unwanteds series. The magical world of Artimé is gone. The Unwanteds have no food, no water, and no hope. And everyone is looking to Alex Stowe for answers. Overwhelmed and feeling totally helpless, Alex knows it’s up to him to find a way to restore Artimé, rescue his captive friends, and free Megan from her voice-stealing necklace of thorns—three impossible tasks. But could help lie with the silent, orange-eyed newcomers? Meanwhile, Alex’s twin brother Aaron continues to build his army in the stark land of Quill, preparing for the ultimate showdown with the Unwanteds. But a shocking twist reveals that Alex and Aaron share a common enemy more dangerous than either could have imagined... Gr 4–7—This third book in the series begins in the ruins of what was once the world of Artimé, where the residents are now suffering greatly. When their beloved leader, Mr. Today, was killed at the end of the previous book, all of his magic that created Artimé died with him. There is very little food or fresh water and things are growing desperate. Two Artiméans are held captive in neighboring Quill while two more are prisoners on Warbler, the next island in the chain. Mr. Today left young Alex Stowe in charge and gave him a clue to a spell that could restore Artimé to its former magical state. Alex needs the help of his best friend, Meghan, and Sky, a refugee from Warbler, to decipher the riddle, but both of them have been silenced with a horrible spell that has embedded metal thorns into their throats. Meanwhilie on Warbler, Lani and Samheed literally cling to each other while they are confined in total darkness, developing their own language of spelling by hand and growing closer to each other. Alex and his friends must re-create Artimé and rescue those held captive. The book closes with a period of recuperation and a celebration which is marred by troubling new developments, leaving plenty of clues for a fourth book. The pacing is slow for most of the narrative, interspersed with angst that seems unnecessary. Still, there is a lot here to delight middle-grade readers and fans of the series will certainly be glad to get their hands on this installment.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib. Wisconsin Rapids Picking up where Island of Silence (2012) ended, this installment finds the world of Artimé decimated and Alex Stowe with a growing list of problems. With no food or water, he is helpless to prevent the exodus of Unwanteds who are choosing a life of servitude in Quill rather than wasting away in a lost world. Furthermore, his friends are still trapped on Warbler, and Meghan, the only Unwanted who managed to escape the ill-fated expedition to Warbler, has been rendered mute by a necklace of thorns. But Mr. Today’s faith in Alex was well-appointed. The development of Alex as a leader is one of the most satisfying aspects of the novel; it is in stark contrast to the regression of his twin, Aaron, still whining away in Quill and becoming increasingly paranoid. The series appears to have left its dystopian roots behind and developed into a full-blown fantasy saga. Another cliff-hanger ending will keep fans wanting more. New readers will need to start at the beginning in order to catch up. Grades 4-7. --Kara Dean Lisa McMann lives in Arizona. She is married to fellow writer and musician, Matt McMann, and they have two adult children. Her son is an artist named Kilian McMann and her daughter is an actor, Kennedy McMann. Lisa is the New York Times bestselling author of over two dozen books for young adults and children. So far she has written in genres including paranormal, realistic, dystopian, and fantasy. Some of her most well-known books are The Unwanteds series for middle grade readers and the Wake trilogy for young adults. Check out Lisa's website at LisaMcMann.com, learn more about The Unwanteds Series at UnwantedsSeries.com, and be sure to say hi on Instagram or Twitter (@Lisa_McMann), or Facebook (Facebook.com/McMannFan). The Unwanteds Island of Fire Death Farm It was as if Artimé had never existed. In the weeks since the death of Marcus Today, Alexander Stowe was often seen sitting on a rickety stool, staring out the window of the gray shack, clouding the glass with his breath. Sometimes he leaned his head of dark tangled curls or pressed a dirty cheek against the pane to catch a few moments of sleep when he could stay awake no longer. Today was no different. He stared even now, but he wasn’t seeing anything at all. In his hand he gripped a piece of paper with a colorful border, which was beginning to smudge, and he never let it go even though he’d memorized the words on it. It was his last message from Mr. Today, a cryptic, poetic spell that would fix all Alex’s problems if only he could decipher the clues. He went over the words for the millionth time in his mind. Follow the dot