The Clockwork Ghost, By Laura Ruby

“…Cipheriests knew less than Theo himself. Once, that would have made Theo feel proud. Finally, he was the expert! He didn’t feel like an expert. He felt like a lone pea lost in a soup of cream sauce.” 

I was thrilled to discover another book in the YORK series. This stunning second book in the YORK series is filled with mystery, puzzles, and intriguing characters and situations. (To read my post on the FIRST book, go here.) Told from the point of view of the Biederman twins (Tess and Theo), their friend Jaime, and Karl the raccoon, this book is fast paced and well written. The twins and Jaime are as brilliant as they are interesting to read about. Ruby authentically portrays tweens in a way that will resonate with all ages. I found the book engaging, compelling and the perfect companion to the first in the trilogy. This story is another great tribute to the beauty of New York, packed with history, relics and ghosts from the past.

The book ends with a surprising yet satisfying twist. But now I have more questions, not fewer! I look forward to the last installment of this trilogy!

Summary:
It was only a few weeks ago that the Biedermann twins, Tess and Theo, along with their friend Jaime Cruz, followed the secrets of the Morningstarrs’ cipher further than anyone had in its century-and a-half history—and destroyed their beloved home in the process.

But the Old York Cipher still isn’t solved. The demolition of 354 W. 73rd Street only revealed the next clue in the greatest mystery of the modern world, and if Tess, Theo, and Jaime want to discover what lies at the end of the puzzle laid into the buildings of New York by its brilliant, enigmatic architects, they will need to press on.

But doing so could prove even more dangerous than they know. It is clear that the Morningstarr twins marshaled all the strange technology they had spent their lives creating in the construction of the Cipher, and that technology has its own plans for those who pursue it.

It’s also clear that Tess, Theo, and Jaime are not the only ones on the trail of the treasure. As enemies both known and unknown close in on them from all sides and the very foundations of the city seem to crumble around them, they will have to ask themselves how far they will go to change the unchangeable—and whether the price of knowing the secrets of the Morningstarrs is one they are willing to pay.

*Win a copy of the book!

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Blog Tour:

May 14 Nerdy Book Club

May 16 The Book Monsters

May 18 Writers’ Rumpus

May 19 Novel Novice

Laura Ruby is the author of books for adults, teens, and children, including Bone Gap, a National Book Award finalist and Michael L. Printz Award winner, among dozens of other accolades. Her other books include the Edgar-nominated mystery Lily’s Ghosts, the Book Sense Pick Good Girls, and the acclaimed novels Play Me and Bad Apple. She is on the faculty of Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program and lives in the Chicago area. You can visit her online at www.lauraruby.com.