When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents--on the expedition from which they never returned--leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance.

But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake's new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist--the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady--dead or alive.

Author: James Rollins
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 02/09/2010
Series: Jake Ransom #1
Pages: 432
Weight: 0.6lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.10w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780061473814
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 12
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 130982 / Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

About the Author
Rollins, James: -

James Rollins is the author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the top crowd pleasers (New York Times) and one of the hottest summer reads (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets--and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains.