Return of the Evening Star: Book 2 in Silver Mountain Series

(Paperback)

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Description

A mysterious hospital deep in the Oregon woods is sending marauding ambulances into the countryside, looking for new patients. Mowing down anything in their path, the deadly ambulance drivers have forced the people and animals of the land into hiding. Twelve-year-old Chloe Ashton has returned to Fairfax and is desperate to find her mother. Together with her friendsthe magical cook Mrs. Goodweather, carpenter Brisco Knot, and clever white rat Shakespeareshe hatches a plan to enter the hospital and stop the bloodshed. At the same time a rumor reaches them from the east: Silas the Stargazer is coming, and he is bringing an army. An animal army.

Reviews

2019 American Fiction Awards Winner in Pre-Teen Fiction (Ages 10-12) 2019 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Silver Medal winner in Pre-Teen Fiction (Fantasy) "This middle-grade sequel sees a girl, her heroic friends, and the animal kingdom fight against a hospital hungry for victims . . . A thematically and visually potent adventure with a strong cast." --Kirkus Reviews "What a delight to read a story populated with such characters! Noble, brave, and compassionate, Chloe and her heroic ensemble remind us that even in the face of loss and seemingly certain doom, it is our connections to those around us that will save the day. Diane Rios writes with verve, wit, and deep humanity, painting a portrait of a world very like our own, however fantastical it may seem." --Alexis Smith, author of the awardwinning Glaciers and Marrow Island "The pacing in this one was great. I couldn't put it down and the characters were wonderful. This was just one wonderful middle grade title that I think will have little girls reading and wanting to be the hero of their own stories!" --Crossroads Reviews Praise for the Silver Mountain series: 2017 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards: Silver, Pre-Teen Fiction - Fantasy 2017 USA Best Book Awards Finalist in Children's Fiction 2018 Oregon Book Award Finalist in Children's Literature 2018 Gertrude Warner Awards for Middle-Grade Readers Shortlist "Rios creates a fascinating world that mixes history and fantasy through descriptive language and vivid imagery. Short chapters help move the steadily paced story along. VERDICT Readers will eagerly await the next installment; a solid purchase for libraries with robust fantasy collections." --School Library Journal "Diane Rios is as gifted a storyteller as she is an artist. Her tales hearken back to a bygone era while still feeling both relevant and fresh." --Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay and Leave Me "This middle-grade debut finds an audacious child -- with a knack for bonding with animals -- thrown into peril by her scheming uncle. In this appealing novel, Rios writes with an abiding love of nature, illustrating in scene after scene the power people may draw from it...An engaging adventure that shows the strength that can be discovered amid tragedy." --Kirkus Reviews "Author Diane Rios has created a world that is both perfectly natural and slightly magical. With mystery, poetic descriptions of nature, talking animals, and bravery, Bridge of the Gods is the powerful and inspiring tale of a young girl in rustic Oregon who, just at the moment she needs help the most, discovers that she is just a little bit special." --Bill Zeman, author of Tiny Art Director

Author Bio

Award-winning author and illustrator Diane Rios lives and writes in Portland, Oregon. Her debut novel, Bridge of the Gods, won the 2017 silver Moonbeam Childrens Book Award for Pre-Teen Fantasy, was a finalist for the USA Best Book Award in Childrens Fiction, and was a finalist for a 2017 Oregon Book Award for Childrens Literature. A long-time Oregon artist and musician, Rios wrote and illustrated the picture book Dizzys Dream. Rios spent three years working at the worlds largest independent bookstore, Powells Books in Portland, where she greatly increased her own childrens book collection and was inspired to write the Silver Mountain Series.