The Lost Compass

March 1, 2016
This sequel to The Fog Diver (2015) takes readers back to a post-apocalyptic world in which civilization has been driven into the skies. But humanity it seems hasn't changed...greed, love, cruelty, patriotism, strength, and weakness still drive human actions. Chess and the other scavengers have made it out of the slums and to the safety of Port Oro, but Lord Kodoc is still on their tail. He knows that tetherboy and narrator Chess is a fog diver like no other, able to survive the deadly nanites that cloud the Earth. (Created to eat pollution, nanites became a threat when they perceived humans as pollution.) Chess and the rest of his makeshift family--Hazel, the captain; Swedish, the pilot; Loretta, the muscle; and Bea, the engineer--know if they don't find the mysterious Compass before Kodoc, no one will be safe. As in the series opener, Ross glories in the Dickensian details of his post-apocalyptic world, winking in homage to adult readers with the insult "chuzzlewit." Also as before, the characters' garbled notions of the Earth "before the Fog" offer endless delight; when introduced to the concept of tomato "catchup," they wonder "How do you race tomatoes?" before concluding that "The ancients were totally peanuts." A cracking good adventure with a diverse cast in a memorable world. (Science fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from March 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-The adventure continues for Chess and his airship crew in this action-packed sequel to The Fog Diver (HarperCollins, 2015). Having recently escaped from the greedy and powerful Lord Kodoc, ruler of the mountaintop empire known as the Rooftop, the crew are sure they'll be safe on a faraway mountaintop called Port Oro. No sooner have they arrived in the strange new city, however, than they learn that Kodoc isn't even close to done with them. He still seeks a mysterious object known as the "Compass," a device that lies somewhere on the surface of the Earth, deep in the Fog. Legend says that the Compass can control the Fog-even make the Fog go away. With the Compass, Kodoc will have the power to determine the fate of his entire Empire, and he knows that Chess is the key to finding that power. The race is on for Chess, his crew, and their new friends on Port Oro to recover the Compass before it falls into the wrong hands. Chock-full of positive themes about loyalty and teamwork and packed with hilariously misinterpreted pop culture references, Ross's middle grade adventure series about a juvenile airship crew raised in a junkyard continues to shine. In this case, with deeper characterization, even more nonstop action, and much higher stakes, the sequel is even better than the original. Readers will find themselves alternately laughing out loud and biting their nails as they anxiously follow the adventures of Chess and his friends. VERDICT A fast-paced narrative and hilarious dialogue make this series an essential purchase where smart middle grade fantasy/adventure is in demand.-Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community High School, IN

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Chess and his fellow airship scavengers (The Fog Diver) set out to find the Compass, an ancient device that can eliminate the lethal fog that has covered the earth, before evil Lord Kodoc gets control of it for his own sinister goals. The offbeat future setting, airship battles, and clockwork monsters provide colorful sci-fi flavor, while goofy banter highlights the strong friendships among the crew.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)