THE SCROLL QUEST

As the book opens, Marko and Mira are being investigated for their vastly improved academic attainment, which has affected the whole school’s grades. The kids tell the truth about the magic mirror that enables them to travel through time to the era they are studying, but authorities do not believe them. Meanwhile Marko and Mira receive a new assignment from Ye Ye, their paternal grandfather, in the form of an old scroll encased in an intriguing container. When Mira becomes distracted by social events, Marko attempts to engage her by researching the assignment. It turns out that the scroll is tied to The Journey to the West, a seventh-century novel that is well known in East Asian cultures. The pair must restore the scroll to explorer Xuanzang, who is said to be at the Nalanda University in India and will become the protagonist of The Journey to the West. The quickly evolving narrative explains how the siblings find themselves transported to the middle of a vast wilderness, meeting the scholar/explorer as he heads toward the university and accompanying him on his adventures. The fast-paced combination of time travel, history, and action makes for an appealing, quick read and an engaging introduction to a formidable literary tradition. Aside from Ye Ye, the children’s Chinese heritage is downplayed in this installment.

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