Siblings Kate, Emma, and Michael P. have been shepherded from orphanage to orphanage ever since their parents mysteriously disappeared ten years ago. Finally, they are sent to Cambridge Falls to live under the care of a Doctor Pym. During their exploration of their new home, they discover a mysterious atlas that transports them back in time. There, they are forced to face down the Countess, a powerful witch, and her undead army. As Kate comes to realize this power of the atlas, she and her siblings try to save their new home and themselves from the Countess. In doing so, they discover that they are involved in a special prophecy...
I won't go too much more into the plot--it would be no fun if I summarized the whole thing, now would it? You'll just have to read it, and I think you'll at least want to check it out.
The Emerald Atlas is quite fun and, despite being over four hundred pages, is a quick read. I read the whole thing in a day with little trouble. Granted, I was trapped in a car, but it is definitely engaging enough to be enjoyable. Stephens has mixed fantasy and familial elements to create an engaging story and has effectively set up the next couple of books. The book definitely caters to younger audiences--the characters are fairly simplistic, the humor's fairly juvenile, and it's not too scary--but the tangled, fast-paced plot makes it enjoyable even for an older reader. As the simplistic characters were my main complaints, I am hoping that the characters will develop more over the next couple of books. Despite that reservation, I would recommend reading this book and then keeping an eye out for the sequels.
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