With the end of the Mayan calendar fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy and his new friend Lola, the modern Maya girl who saved his life in the perilous jungle, are racing against time to outwit the twelve Lords of Death.  Following the trail of the conquistadors, their quest takes them back to the wild heart of Spain - a forgotten land steeped in legend, superstition and ever more bizarre tourist festivals.  With a pack of hellhounds on their heels and the cape-twirling Count Antonio de Landa in hot pursuit, the teens must face madness and betrayal, bluff and double-bluff, to uncover the terrible secrets of the long-lost Yellow Jaguar.  But no matter where they run, all roads lead to Xibalba.  There, in the cold and watery Maya underworld, we finally discover why only Max Murphy can save the world from the villainous Lords of Death.From School Library JournalGrade 4–6—In this sequel to Middleworld (Smith &amp; Sons, 2007), 14-year-old Max and his friend Lola are on another quest to save his parents from Ah Pukuh and the Maya Lords of Death. This time they have to go to Spain to retrieve the Jaguar Stone from his ancestor's castle and return it to Xibalba, the Maya underworld. On his return from the castle, Max discovers that Lola has been abducted by Count Antonio de Landa, who is working with the Death Lords. Max and the two Howler monkeys that are possessed by the spirits of Maya royalty, Lord 6-Dog and Lady Coco, set out to save Lola from marrying Landa and retrieve the precious stone that was taken by Ah Pukuh. The authors use Maya mythology and terms and add interesting facts about Spain and Spanish culture. This is a fast-paced book, and the action starts right away. There are so many holes and contrivances in the plot, however, that make this story hard to believe, even for fantasy.—Erik Carlson, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From BooklistThink way back to the 1920s and adventure series like Tom Swift or Bomba the Jungle Boy, and you'll get an idea of what readers are in for here. The Voelkels' first novel in the Jaguar Stones series, Middleworld (2007), introduced 14-year-old Max Murphy, the only child of world-famous archaeologists. (These are just the kind of work-obsessed parents'prone to taking a kid into a tomb and then forgetting all about him'that an adventuring kid needs.) Mayan Death Lords, a deadline to find a precious stone to stave off the end of the world, and lots of Mayan lore make this a fact-packed, thrilling ride. Rick Riordan fans will love it. Grades 4-8. --Connie Fletcher

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