Not too long after the end of the first volume, the strange Mr. Peregrine joins the faculty of Hillside Academy, just as Darwen takes a one-time trip to Silibrica and sees a boy being dragged off by a horrifying creature that he has not seen before. He learns from Mr. Peregrine that the creature was the Insidious Bleck and in no time at all, they have figured out that the boy was taken from Costa Rica and Mr. Peregrine has scheduled a class trip there.
On the trip, the reader may get a bit wearied by Darwen, Alex and Rich's constant spatting with each other. It was reminiscent of that Harry Potter volume where the trio was always angry with each other about something or other. But, slog through the angsty parts and there's all the exciting fun of the first volume waiting. There is less traveling between worlds in this volume than in the first. Most of the action takes place in the jungle (Rich: "Rainforest.") of Costa Rica, but with plenty of creatures that have slipped into our world from Silibrica.
So, a little step down from volume one, just because of the fighting between friends, but a good solid fantasy all the same. ( )