“Explodes into a wild fantasy adventure. . . . Cody has begun what promises to be an epic trilogy.” — Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm   It is said that in the thirteenth century, in a town called Hamelin, a piper lured all of the children away with his magical flute, and none of them were ever seen again.   Today, tough, pink-haired Max and her little brother, Carter, are stuck in modern-day Hamelin with their father . . . until they are also led away by the Piper to a place called the Summer Isle. There they meet the original stolen children, who haven’t aged a day and who have formed their own town, vigilantly guarded from the many nightmarish beings that roam the land.   No one knows why the Piper stole them, but Max and Carter may be the key to returning the lost children of Hamelin. Together they set out on the Peddler’s Road to find their way back to the real world.   This swashbuckling journey is perfect for fans of Rump and A Tale Dark and Grimm. Don’t miss the second adventure in the series, The Magician’s Key ! Gr 4–7—Max and Carter reluctantly join their folklorist father on sabbatical in Hamelin. Yes, that Hamelin. So savvy readers won't express too much surprise when a flood of rats descends from the kitchen vent and the mysterious exterminator who comes to fix the rodent problem actually lures the pair to a fantastical land called the Summer Isle. There, Max and Carter discover a walled village built by the 130 children led away in the familiar Pied Piper tale, a group desperately working to defend themselves against an array of nefarious magical beings who populate the rest of the Isle. In Will in Scarlet (Knopf, 2013), Cody reimagined the Robin Hood legend with verve and charm, focusing on a young protagonist. In this first book of a projected trilogy, Cody attempts a similar feat on a more ambitious scale, meshing contemporary and historical characters as well as folkloric creatures from multiple European traditions. An endearing, resourceful team—the siblings plus three medieval Hameliners—undertake a treacherous journey across the Isle, during which Cody ably delineates each character's personality to yield distinct perspectives on their quandary. In a loving yet complicated sibling dynamic, older sister Max struggles to concede responsibility for her goofier brother, who handles his physical disability with stubborn aplomb. Juggling a squad of children, a Piper-opposing wizard (the titular Peddler), and a prophetic map, Cody's saga furnishes much pleasing kerfuffle but sometimes feels frustratingly diffuse. The ending sets up an obvious path for book two, and while many elements of this book augur rip-roaring sequels, readers may wish that the first had provided more narrative focus and a firmer resolution. VERDICT This opener assembles a promising collection of characters and fairy tale elements but leaves the motley components scattered a smidgen too wide.—Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Library, NY "Shifting among various characters' perspectives, this engaging story introduces a world filled with human-size rats, magicians, kobolds, elves, ghosts, and more. Cody weaves an inventive fantasy that spans time and space in its exploration of the lighter and darker sides of magic." - Publisher's Weekly Matthew Cody is the author of several popular books, including the Supers of Noble’s Green trilogy: Powerless, Super, and Villainous. He is also the author of Will in Scarlet and The Dead Gentleman, as well as one other book in the Secrets of the Pied Piper series, The Magician’s Key. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives with his wife and son in Manhattan. Learn more about Matthew and his books at matthewcody.com and @matthew_cody. Chapter One Once there was a girl called Max who had pink hair. According to the label on the dye bottle, the hair color was actually Rosa, which the nice lady at the pharmacy assured her translated to “Wild Magenta,” but in the end it turned out to be ordinary pink. The whole process was far messier than Max had expected, and though she’d read that she’d need a second person to really do the job right, she’d decided to tackle it by herself. There wasn’t anyone around to help her, anyway. She’d imagined trying out pink hair would be like trying out a new Max. The Max that came in the Wild Magenta bottle would be impulsive and free-spirited and exactly the kind of girl who dyed her hair pink one morning on a whim. But as she stared morosely at the bathroom sink and at all the places the dye had stained the porcelain, she didn’t feel any different at all. She was just . . . pinker. As she examined her new look in the bathroom mirror (she’d accidentally dyed the tip of her left ear, too), her brother, Carter, was banging on the bathroom door, telling her he had to go. “What could you possibly be doing in there that would take this long?” her brother complained from the other side of the d