The Last Musketeer

September 26, 2011
Greg Rich’s family isn’t anymore—rich, that is. After squandering a fortune, the ninth-grader and his family travel to Paris to sell heirlooms despite Grandpa Gus’s warning that their treasures—including half a black crystal Mrs. Rich wears on a chain—must never return to France. Sure enough, an evil Louvre employee tries to wrench the necklace away, and in the tussle, the whole clan falls into a portrait in the museum’s throne room, landing in 1615, during the reign of Louis XIII. Greg’s parents are imprisoned, but he escapes and is befriended by Aramis, a cleric at Notre Dame. They recruit teenagers Porthos and Athos to rescue Greg’s parents. Gibbs (Belly Up) weaves quite a bit of French history into his action-packed tale. The skills Greg learned at his tony private school come in handy, and his ability to swim (unheard of!), rock-climb, and use Hollywood action film tricks impress the future musketeers. Gibbs’s screenwriting background is evident in the story’s cinematic plotting and prose, and the ending makes it clear that at least one sequel is in the works. Ages 8–12.

October 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Gibbs reimagines Alexandre Dumas's Three Musketeers with a liberal dose of fantasy. Fourteen-year-old Greg is in present-day Paris with his parents to sell family heirlooms to the Louvre. When his mother refuses to part with a cherished stone pendant, the manager grabs it and uses it to transport himself and Greg's unwilling family back to 1615 through a painting. The past proves dangerous as Greg's parents are quickly arrested and he becomes a fugitive. His plan to rescue his mom and dad requires the help of three new friends (yes, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis), who dub Greg "D'Artagnan." The four must defeat the evil Richelieu, who has a mysterious connection to the modern-day Louvre manager. Gibbs deftly packs an abundance of historical detail into a lively narrative that captures the swashbuckling spirit of Dumas's original. Full of jovial humor, narrow escapes, sorcery, and intrigue, the novel will likely generate interest in the classic. Greg is a well-defined hero: each challenge he faces helps him recognize his own abilities and find acceptance among the friends whom he admires. Although the characters' speech is often too contemporary, their accessible language and vocabulary make this novel a good choice for older reluctant readers. The cliff-hanger ending leaves all characters in the past, with the new Musketeers off on their next adventure, "sheathing their swords and running for their horses." Readers will want to join them.-M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011

From the gripping first sentence--"Clinging to the prison wall, Greg Rich realized how much he hated time travel"--the excitement never flags in this newly imagined Musketeer adventure.

Greg is none too pleased to be in Paris with his folks as they sell off family heirlooms. Among their belongings is a magical crystal that, when nabbed by a villainous thief, whisks them into the distant past. Suddenly in 17th-century Paris, Greg's parents are imprisoned in the La Mort Triste and sentenced to die. Greg has only a few days to save them. He elicits the help of three teenage boys: Aramis, Porthos and Athos, each keen for the adventure. As the boys wend their way through the fetid streets of medieval Paris with the king's guards always on their heels, they endure death-defying battles and swordfights on horseback, chandeliers and ledges. With the past and the present entwining in dizzying tangles of who's who and what's what, Gibbs weaves in historical facts about Paris as well as atmospheric tidbits about rats, bed bugs and the lack of toilets and pockets in pants. Greg, now referred to as D'Artagnon, eventually deduces his role in this group, but it's going to take more than wishful thinking to get him and his parents back home--or is Paris home?

Using Alexandre Dumas' stories as a jumping-off point, Gibbs mixes fact, fantasy and thrills to create a galloping swashbuckler. (Adventure. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 15, 2011
Grades 5-8 This historical fantasy opens with young Greg clinging to a prison wall and thinking about how much he hates time travel. He is in the middle of a daring rescue attempt, aided by his new friends Aramis, Porthos, and Athos. The year is 1615, 10 years before the setting of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers. Gibbs' playful, action-packed twist on the classic novel includes plenty of humor as Greg attempts to fit into medieval life. Daily realities are vividly portrayed, from the stench of the Seine to the need for stockings to keep off fleas. Greg, now called D'Artagnan, feels inadequate next to his friends, but his modern skills at swimming and rock climbing, not to mention a fortuitous pack of matches, help save the day. The first in a proposed series, this title will appeal to readers who do not mind suspending disbelief or enduring the occasional rant against the monarchy for an entertaining premise and high adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
When an immortal villain transports Greg and his parents to seventeenth-century Paris, Greg--alias D'Artagnan--meets the young men who will become the Three Musketeers. It takes their combined skills and courage to rescue Greg's parents from the Bastille. This entertaining time-travel adventure references its source material with enough detail to stand alone.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)