A little fantasy, a little culture, a little history...and tons of mystery and adventure.

Bubba and Squirt's father has gone missing, and they'd love nothing more than to find him. Luckily, their grandfather pays Bubba a visit from the great beyond and gives him a vision, which leads them through the portal to Paris, France. After landing in the spooky catacombs, they run across not only monsters but thieves, too. Add a painting, which seems to open up to another realm, and the two have more than a little to figure out.

While it's not absolutely necessary, I do recommend reading this series from the beginning, since the books do build on each other a little bit. That said, Bubba and Squirt aren't only figuring out the hole under the tree, but Bubba's getting a handle on his powers. While there is family support...even from the afterlife...these two are pretty much on their own, which readers will enjoy. They meet new friends and have to figure out new ways of dealing with things. It keeps the story exciting the entire way through, and with the little twists of magic, it's impossible to guess what's really going on.

One of my favorite aspects about this tale is the length. At around seventy-five pages, it invites even more reluctant readers to jump into the fun. The stories do include historical facts and teach a little about the various places Bubba and Squirt travel. This falls smoothly into the main plot and never feels like a lesson, which makes this great for school libraries an even homeschoolers. The adventure is exciting, packs tons of tension, and keeps the reader guessing until the end.

It's a fun series and worth checking out. ( )