The Icy Hand: Something Wickedly Weird, vol. 2

THE ICY HAND VOLUME 2 :THE SECOND ADVENTURE IN STANLEY BUGGLE'S SAGAEven more wicked and weird than the first! Stanley is looking forward to a relaxing winter. After all, nothing could have been weirder than the werewolf curse and plotting pirates he had to face the summer before! Or at least that's what Stanley thinks; but he has a lot to learn about Cramdon Rock, especially after accidentally bringing some dead pirates back to life―ones that make the previous pirates he faced look like cuddly puppy dogs and ones that are trudging across the arctic determined to fi nd a magical medallion in Stanley's house. The only person who can save him is his dead great-uncle Bartholomew, which is a little tricky considering he's…well, dead. Oh, and did we mention headless? With the help of a talking stuffed fish and a new friend named Daisy, Stanley sets out to fi nd his great-uncle's head, stop the pirates, and win over some new readers in this second funny and spooky installment of a thrilling new series.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—Stanley Buggles returns to Crampton Rock, where another adventure awaits him. His discovery of a valuable amulet called the Ibis in The Wooden Mile (Roaring Brook, 2008) has awakened the Stormbringers, two pirate ghosts intent on reclaiming the artifact. Stanley receives help from the talking pike and the ghost of his Great-Uncle Bart as he tries to prevent the pirates from succeeding at all costs. Though even if he does, there is a risk that the Ibis's presence could create a greater threat, setting the scene for bigger adventures in future books. This offering has a more coherent and linear plot than the first title, moving through the action without the gaps and abrupt plot additions that plagued that book. The focus is still on action without much in the way of character development, but there is more substance. Fans of Philip Ardagh's work may find some similarities that will attract them. Mould's black-and-white illustrations are well done, particularly those of the characters.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

CHRIS MOULD went to art school at the age of sixteen. During this time, he did various jobs, from delivering papers to washing up and cooking in a kitchen. He has won the Nottingham Children's Book Award and been commended for the Sheffield. He loves his work and likes to write and draw the kind of books that he would have liked to have on his shelf as a boy. He is married with two children and lives in Yorkshire, England.

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