The Emerald Curse

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

Sam’s grandfather was a first-rate comic-book author before he
disappeared two years ago. When Sam finds an unusual pen in his
grandfather’s study and uses it to draw, he discovers that his
grandfather is trapped in his own comic-book world and is asking Sam to
rescue him. Using the magic pen and a sketchbook, Sam draws himself into
the comic-book world of fantastic heroes and villains, and ends up
joining those who are fighting the evil tyrant Baron Midnight. The
fighters get the help they need to defeat the Baron’s forces when they
succeed in releasing the superheroes whom the Baron had trapped. When
Sam and his grandfather return to the real world, Sam learns that his
grandfather had depended on the magic pen for his drawing ability. But
from now on Sean will be his collaborator and his grandfather will be
free of the curse of the emerald pen.

This fantasy adventure with its use of comic-book themes and
characters will entice a reader who enjoys larger-than-life villains and
mighty clashes between good and evil. There is plenty of tension and
suspense in the plot as well as creative descriptions of the incredible
characters that inhabit the fantasy world. The illustrations are dark
and complement the sinister atmosphere of a world where evil forces have
taken charge.

The Emerald Curse is a very well written and appealing adventure book.
Highly recommended.