Lost & Found: Witherwood Reform School by Obert Skye, illustrations by Keith Thompson

While lost in their Marvin-mindset, Tobias and Charlotte are attacked in their room by a creature who supposedly protects the Witherwood grounds. Soon after Charlotte is whisked off to the girls’ dormitory leaving Tobias imprisoned in his confining cot accommodations. However, Tobias stumbles upon his secret notations and injuries himself out of Marvin’s mental hold. With a clear head, Tobias searches for his sister and a way out.

Lost & Found in Skye’s Witherwood trilogy will have readers rolling on the floors with laughter but glued to their seats in nail-biting suspense. Skye’s brilliantly quirky narration at chapter beginnings may be hilarious, but these nuggets of insight do two things: foreshadow events for Tobias and Charlotte and give empowering advice to young readers. Skye exacerbates the story’s tension by making Tobias and Charlotte pretend to be submissively clueless kids as they secretly gather clues to comprehend Marvin’s demonic scheme. But behind the humor and adventure, there is also real heart to Skye’s story regarding the Eggers family. Anger, loss, and misbehavior may have driven them to fall apart in Book 1, but the foundational love of being a united family drives each to find one another again, no matter the odds. A magnificently written series no reader should pass up.   

Witherwood Reform School by Obert Skye, illustrations by Keith Thompson

When Tobias and Charlotte’s dad, Ralph Eggers, witnesses a prank the siblings pull on their cantankerous nanny, Ralph feels he has no choice but to scare his children into submission. Immediately, he drives his kids to the top of a strange mesa and abandons them outside the ominous gates of Witherwood Reform School. With threatening weather coming, Tobias and Charlotte have no choice but to enter the gloomy grounds when their father doesn’t return. But once they gain shelter inside the school, Tobias and Charlotte are unwillingly enrolled into the prison-like establishment where strange creatures patrol the grounds at night.

Skye’s witty dialog and Thompson’s captivating illustrations chronicle the fateful beginning of the Witherwood Reform School series. Each chapter is setup with tidbits of Skye’s amusing commentary or humorous practical advice before delving into Tobias, Charlotte, or Ralph’s stories. This structure will make readers not only ravenous for the Eggers’ narrative, but also famished for Skye’s cryptic words of wisdom. One aspect of Skye’s series that sets it apart from other middle-grade fantasy is his addition of Ralph’s story. Skye brings to light that parents of tween protagonists can also experience their own transformative adventures. Ralph’s perspective gives added suspense and depth to Tobias and Charlotte’s tale. This well-crafted novel is destined to become a best-seller. Skye’s next book in the series, Lost & Found, will be released in March 2016.