Crystal Cave

In this fifth volume of “Sueño Bay Adventures”, a graphic-novel series for early-grade readers, Ollie’s grandfather becomes ill and must be evacuated to the mainland, a situation which leaves Ollie in the care of the elderly Althea. Afraid he’ll be sent away to live with family off the island, Ollie and his three friends set off on a quest to find the legendary mother crystal, hoping its powers will heal his grandpa. Their research at the local archives leads them to a hidden cellar under the building which, in turn, leads them to explore a set of caves normally underwater but presently exposed by the low tide. They find the mother crystal in the company of elder island residents who call themselves the “crystal keepers” and who protect the crystal in order to maintain the balance of the island. Ollie steals the crystal, setting off a chain of events which come close to drowning the caves, the children and the elders. At the last minute, Althea manages to restore the crystal and the tide rushes out, saving the group.

As with previous books in the series, the premise of the mysterious Moon Creatures and the powerful crystals they feed from is both charming and offbeat, but somewhat difficult to grasp. The legends and the relationship of the island’s residents to them seems to shift over the course of the series, leaving some questions about consistency, and the youngsters at the core of every installment seem to both accept the state of things as fact and to be surprised by new information each time. Ollie’s friend Kay seems to learn of the healing powers of the mother crystal out of nowhere, and no one seems to wonder how Ollie is accompanied everywhere by a large Moon Creature named Conker from a previous story. Ollie’s predicament as an orphan engenders sympathy, and his quest to cure his grandfather is a typical classic kidlit plot, and the peril of the water rushing into the caves provides an exciting climax. Yet the denouement—Ollie’s grandfather is coming home, and all is back to normal—is not totally satisfying. Even attempts at jokes—such as Ollie’s berating Althea for wearing too many layered skirts, thereby making it hard for her to swim to his rescue—seem almost superfluous.

As with previous volumes, the illustrations provide a focus and will require more time to digest and decode than the text which is mainly dialogue. The portrayal of the rain-soaked and fir-tree-filled island is vivid, but details, such as the symbols the group are following in the cave, and the light beams emanating from the crystals throughout, are often hard to notice or to understand. Charming and innocent graphic novels for young readers like Crystal Cave have an important place in any collection, but this one produces mixed results.