Solomon Snow and the Stolen Jewel (review)

Solly, now returned to his former humble status following a brief and eventful flirtation with drama among the upper crust (Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon, BCCB 12/05), is on his way to deliver a load of freshly laundered underwear to a neighbor when he is again swept by Fate into adventure. He and his prickly friend Pru must free her father from prison before he's deported for poaching, while meanwhile off at the circus, their old acquaintance Rosabella, the Infant Prodigy, becomes unwittingly involved in the theft of a cursed gem from the tomb of a touring pharaonic mummy—a gem purloined by a dwarf in the employ of a giant in the employ of a reclusive master criminal. Naturally (well, quite unnaturally, but isn't that the point?), the trio is reunited to bring the villains to justice and restore the innocent—or at least the not-quite-so-guilty—to liberty. Umansky again has a grand old time weaving improbable elements into a coherent plot, and in this case a stuffed toy bunny and Rosabella's indolent pet rabbit, Mr. Skippy, are the wild cards that win the hand. Reliable good guy Solly has by now established himself as straight man for the antics of his companions, and the simpering, lisping, hard-as-nails Infant Prodigy continues to steal the show. Fans of Silver Spoon should be equally satisfied with the latest caper.