The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium #2)

Gr 4-7--In their follow-up to The Iron Trial (Scholastic, 2014), Black and Clare again return to the magical, alchemical world of the Magisterium, a school that neatly plays with the tropes of the magic school genre. At the conclusion of the last book, readers learned that the ostensible hero, Callum, was in fact the Enemy of Death--the villain who terrifies everyone in his magical world. When he discovers a plot seemingly orchestrated by his own father against the Magisterium, Call and his friends run away from school to try and save the magical world they love. Much of the action in this second installment takes place outside the claustrophobic caverns of the Magisterium, expanding the world Call and friends Tamara and Adam inhabit with mixed results. Credulity is stretched whenever any member of the group enters our mundane world--would giant wolves with glowing eyes and four 13-year-olds hot-wiring a car really go unnoticed by average people?--but other big set pieces, especially an epic battle against an ancient monster, thrill. There's plenty of action, adventure, and pathos here to even out the rough patches. VERDICT Fans of the previous volume will relish the continuing adventures of Call and his friends.--Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT