Wolfie Brown lives in London with his mother above a sweet shop that is not doing very well. When a mysterious man who wants to be their lodger comes calling, the money certainly comes in handy, but he has some strange ideas. Meanwhile, over in California, Tala Bean’s father has just disappeared when her "uncle"—a man she does not know—offers to look after her and takes her to London. Also en route to London is Zi’ib Bakri, whose mother has been kidnapped, and who lies injured in hospital. All three are the same age and have green eyes: they are about to discover that their destinies are linked in an extraordinary manner.

Thus begins the first book of a new adventure series for tweenagers, linking the ancient Sudanese land of Meroe with ley lines, stone circles and other earth mysteries. It is easy to like the three protagonists, who deal with their unusual lot with plenty of good humor and a sense of adventure. The story truly takes off when the trio head off to the Sudan and find themselves in even more of a fantastic situation.

I liked the combination of modern life mixed in with mysticism and the wonders of the past. My only real gripe about the novel was its rather extended length; this is certainly not a book to give the reluctant reader! Everything that happens is described in painstaking detail, which has the added dimension of making it all seem very real and immediate. However, there are times when the plot tends to tread water. A bit of editing and some tighter writing are all that is needed in the next book to make this the sort of "crossover" series that has adults reading it as well as a wide variety of youngsters.