The 8th Continent

Like the Lane family's supersonic hovership, the Roost, which is carved from a giant sequoia, London's smart and humorous series launch hurtles along at a sometimes knuckle-whitening pace. Timid tech whiz Rick and fearless Evie accompany their father, George, a genius inventor and passionate environmentalist, to rescue a rare jungle bird threatened by toxic waste dumped by a corporation that plans to develop the land into the tacky "New Miami" resort. After international watchdog agency Winterpole, "dedicated to making sure that nothing ever changed," places George under house arrest for removing the bird, it's up to Rick and Evie to achieve his dream: transforming an expanse of garbage (based on the actual Great Pacific Garbage Patch) into a bucolic eighth continent. Adding to the comedy interwoven with London's ecological themes are several memorable characters, including Vesuvia Piffle, Condo Corp's plastic-worshipping young mastermind. Kids will especially enjoy George's outlandish robotic and vehicular inventions%E2%80%94including 2-Tor, the siblings' giant mechanical crow teacher%E2%80%94in this fun yet thought-provoking story, which features an online tie-in game. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Sept.)