Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

Meet 12-year-old Alison Dare, a youngster with a flair for action and adventure who has a world famous archeologist for a mother (Dr. Alice Dare), a librarian and masked super hero (The Blue Scarab) for a father, and an international spy and master of disguise for an uncle. A collection of three tales reveals Alison’s unique family secrets. First she embarks upon an escapade with a genie inside a magic lamp, as he grants her wish to bring friends—brainiac Wendy and sensible Dot—to visit her in Egypt while mom is on an archeological dig. Then Alison reveals to her friends how her parents met. Finally, Alison helps to stop her mom’s arch enemy, the evil Baron Von Baron (complete with German accent) from stealing a mummy baby from the upcoming local museum exhibit. The fluid, confident B&W art can be detailed, and there’s a lot of dialogue to digest, but they give the sometimes predictable story-line a charm and freshness. Ages 8–12. (June)