Across a Star-Swept Sea

Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars) dips into the classics again, this time mining The Scarlet Pimpernel for deeds of derring-do. The spy is Persis Blake, 16 and chief lady-in-waiting to the ruling princess of the island of Albion. Her parents conveniently distracted, Persis is free to quit school, spend unlimited money on her wardrobe (and disguises), and flit from party to peril, all while pretending to be “Albion’s loveliest, silliest socialite.” Her true cause is rescuing tortured aristocrats from the revolution gripping the neighboring island of Galatea. But on one expedition, the “Wild Poppy” returns with an unexpected refugee: Justen Helo, grandson of the most famous doctor on Galatea, gifted medic, and revolutionary. Such a celebrity must naturally be feted at court, where the risk he will uncover the Wild Poppy’s double life is dangerously high. The story teeters into hyperbole at times, and the political debates and info-dumps can grow tedious. Still, it’s a charming bit of light adventure, and the chance to revisit the elaborate world Peterfreund created in For Darkness is welcome. Ages 13–up. Agent: Deidre Knight, the Knight Agency. (Oct.)