The Inkberg Enigma

The murky waters of fishing town Aurora attract a wide variety of marine wildlife unlike anything else in recent history. Though local boy Miro doesn’t have much interest in the town, he has taken to selling unwanted items that previous owners left in his family’s attic to fund his addiction to rare books. After Miro and classmate Zia spot a local fisherman whose leg is ensnared by cephalopodlike tentacles, they explore Aurora’s mysterious history, including the Danforth family patriarch who founded the town’s primary employer, his disastrous expedition to the arctic, and the mysterious cabal protecting the secret that keeps Aurora’s economy prosperous. Zia, the deuteragonist to Milo’s protagonist, drives the story forward with her initiative, rendering Milo and his hazy motivations comparatively less interesting. King’s detailed full-color panels can feel more static than sequential, slowing the pace in a story already lacking in emotional motivations, but the aquatic, gothic mystery breathes life into the otherwise mild narrative. Ages 7–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]