The Burning Crown

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

This sequel to The Serpent’s Egg continues the saga of Miranda and her
friends Nick, Arabella, and Penelope (along with her now
neon-green-instead-of-pink poodle, Muffy) in their quest to overcome the
forces of evil.

Spurred on by Miranda’s premonition of impending disaster, the
friends set out for Ellesmere Island, the home of the Elves. They learn
that despite their success in returning Hate to her prison in the Place
With No Name, she has devised a plan to defeat the Elves, the Dwarves,
and eventually Miranda and her people. The demon’s “crazed
minions,” acting on her orders, have stolen the Elves’ crown and
will use its power to destroy the Elves and free Hate. Miranda and her
friends must find and retrieve “The Cap” to save the Elves and
Dwarves.

Like the previous volume, this one contains the requisite strange and
fantastic monsters (Augurs, Werecurs, Drom and Bog Trolls, to name just
a few), afflictions to endure, and trials to overcome. Fortunately and
predictably, Miranda and her friends are victorious and good prevails,
at least for the present (as the last page suggests). Also like its
predecessor, The Burning Crown is rife with clichés. A dictionary or
glossary would be a welcome accompaniment—many words (such as
ophidian, scoria, mote, etc.) may be unfamiliar.

The Harry Potter phenomenon may well carry over and ensure the
popularity of McCurdy’s fantasy series among young readers. Those who
believe that a book that kids will read must be a good book should not
hesitate to purchase The Burning Crown. However, this reviewer believes
that for those searching for something “beyond Harry Potter,” there
are better alternatives to be had. Not a first-choice purchase.