The Ominous Eye

"Hecht continues to charm readers with delightfully drawn characters and consistent suspense. Bismark's trademark, multilingual adulations fuel both Dawn's eye-rolls and readers' chuckles. Tobin remains cautiously adventurous. His quiet remarks and social perceptiveness ground Bismark's slapstick and elicit warmth from Dawn's cool leadership. Each animal, from the common to the exotic, shines with quirky personalities and endearing traits. A welcome return of the colorful and curious trio--their next can't arrive soon enough. (Fantasy. 9-12)" --Kirkus Reviews "In this satisfying second installment...our heroes are there to save the day, and, as in the first volume, when they uncover Polyphema's underlying motives, learn about an important issue--this time, protecting endangered species. Returning fans will be rewarded with the expected engaging plot twists, plenty of humor, Bismarck's unrequited mooning over Dawn, and reaffirmation of the trio's mutual loyalty and friendship." --Booklist "The Ominous Eye explores how friendships can change, first (and second) impressions aren't always correct, and fear shouldn't stop you from doing what's right. Fans of The Nocturnals will devour this latest adventure with new characters and a thrilling mystery."--YA and Kids Book Central (YABC) "This is a good follow-up to the first book, and yet newcomers to the series can jump right in without having read the first book (but read it -- it's good!). Kate Liebman's color illustrations add to the text, giving the reader a nice frame of reference for some of these new animals he or she will meet during the course of the book." --Mom Read It Blog "Hecht writes a novel that can stand on its own and allows readers to jump right into the series and backtrack later. The characters are each unique... the reader can't help but be invested in them. Even the so called "bad guys" have an element of sympathy and understanding about them that teaches young readers to think critically about how they treat the people around them and what might be going on in those "bad guys" lives... Hecht does a great job of tying together themes and morals centering around acceptance, understanding, and friendship." -- Centered on Books Blog Praise for Tracey Hecht's The Mysterious Abductions "The Nocturnals is an enchanting story about a group of animals who band together to protect their friends and find adventure. The characters are delightful and the nighttime landscape is captivating. It was just as I expected--because the best stories always take place in the dark!" --R.L. Stine "A delightful adventure about the power of uncommon traits and the joys of newfound friendship."--Kirkus Reviews "The characters are humorous and well developed, and the fast-moving plot features intrigue, unexpected twists, and the innovative hybrid hockey game. Accessible to upper elementary while sufficiently sophisticated for middle school, this new animal fantasy series should prove popular."--Booklist "Tracey Hecht's first novel is an appealing page-turner for middle-school readers, combining a likable cadre of unusual animal characters with fast-paced, clever dialogue and, of course, plenty of suspense."--BookPage