Review by Frank Plowright

Twins Alex and Cleo are thirteen years old, and due to an often absent father they fell into desperate ways in New York, becoming part of a street gang headed by one Luther. Their way out was to take the possessions bequeathed by their mother, a compass and a knife, and board a boat to San Francisco. How events departed greatly from the plan was related in Compass South, during which readers also learned the significance of the compass and knife, and that some nasty people were looking for them.

Hope Larson also included a joyful moment toward the end of Compass South as Alex and Cleo were reunited with their father, and she uses the opening pages to explain just how he also came to be aboard a ship heading to San Francisco.

This is the 1860s, the period well researched and the trappings well delivered by Rebecca Mock who also ensures the cast have the appropriate emotional depth and that the dangerous elements have an accompanying thrill. As before, much of the story takes place on board a ship, and Mock finds a different, but equally attention grabbing way of portraying the dangers of sailing the ocean in the 1800s.

There’s plenty of danger as Larson sets up a treasure hunt in an inhospitable location, but feeding into what makes this such a good young adult novel is Larson not just heading full pelt into the adventure, but having the main cast consider the perils first. Then she has them consider what they’d do with any treasure located, with the answers again reinforcing why this is an engaging adventure. Via Cleo she also addresses the perceived place of women at the time, here following a path more established by a succession of leading Disney characters, and also builds on the cast who survived the previous events. They all bring something different to the proceedings, they all have a story arc plotted out, there are plenty of surprises on a long journey, and the use of extended flashbacks is excellent.

It’s a journey best experienced without any further revelations. Compass South verified Larsen and Mock as a first rate creative team, and no-one who enjoyed that is going to be disappointed with the conclusion overall. The ending is a little too tidy, though, and raises more questions.