School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-An inventive fantasy-adventure by a first-time author. Rory, 13, and his sister Bridget, 9, live in present-day New York City unaware of the spirits from Manhattan's or "Mannahatta's" past that coexist alongside them. Rory has a gift for seeing this other world but has repressed this ability until the day he notices a cockroach riding a rat, an ancient Indian warrior, a papier-mache boy, and other oddities. He's able to see such historical figures as Peter Stuyvesant, Walt Whitman, John Jacob Astor, Alexander Hamilton, and Babe Ruth-all immortal gods in this parallel world-and he learns that it's up to him to thwart an evil assassin who has been killing the gods, and free the Munsee Indians who are imprisoned in Central Park. He's joined by other immortal teens, including Nicholas Stuyvesant, Peter's son, and Lincoln Douglass, Frederick's son. The use of real historical figures and events lends authenticity to this compulsively readable and fast-paced fantasy. Rory may be the one destined to save Mannahatta, but Bridget, spunky and determined, also does her part. This book will appeal to fans of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (Hyperion/Miramax).-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In Mebus's fantasy world, Mannahatta, such historical figures as Peter Stuyvesant and Frederick Douglass are elevated to gods interacting with a panoply of fictional characters. Amidst this setting, modern-day kids Rory and Bridget, among the few who can see the spirit city, must free the Munsee Indians from imprisonment in Central Park. The premise is compelling, but the execution is confusing. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
No sooner does 13-year-old Rory become aware of "Manahatta," the world of ghosts, monsters and spirits that twines through the familiar streets of New York City, than he is swept up in a tide of deadly intrigue in this uncommonly entertaining crossover debut. Though someone has found a way to kill the supposedly immortal gods of the title--all figures from New York's past--that subplot takes a back seat to the machinations of Hex, a magician who enlists Rory in the seemingly worthy effort to break the magical barrier that has imprisoned the spirits of the island's native Munsees in Central Park. Largely clueless but brave and subject to occasional fits of canniness, Rory gets help along the way from a rousing supporting cast led by his kick-ass little sister Bridget, who has an alternate persona she dubs "Malibu Death Barbie," and a diminutive but intrepid Battle Roach named Fritz. Along with plenty of action, Mebus stuffs his pages with references to New York's history, draws most of the threads together in a suspenseful climax and provides a satisfying sense of resolution at the end while leaving plenty of issues for future episodes. (cast list, map) (Fantasy. 11-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When a magician at his little sister's birthday party performs an impossible trick, 13-year-old Rory Hennessy is deeply shaken. And after seeing one impossible thing, he can't stop seeing others, from a cockroach riding a rat to a Native American warrior in Central Park. The magician tells Rory that he is a Light, one of the rare mortals able to see Mannahatta, a spirit city where people and places of New York history are reborn. But a long-ago evil, perpetrated against the spirits of the displaced Munsee peoples, is causing a slow degradation that only a Light can set right. The burden falls to Rory, though his irrepressible sister, Bridget, frequently hijacks his dangerous mission. This is a fresh take on the supernatural city-within-a-city idea and a clever way of introducing New York City's colorful history. Yet Mebus' comic timing and sense of absurdity will also draw readers far from the Big Apple and ensure an ample audience for the next volume in the planned Gods of Manhattan trilogy. A full-color illustrated map will be included.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2008 Booklist
