Toby becomes the subject of a custody dispute between his eccentric artist father and his wealthy, conservative grandparents.

Along the way, the kids discover some nasty historical facts about the Romany, not to mention the hard lives of the homeless people Toby meets.

The story goes on to describe how the children locate Toby and decide to abandon their fantasy games, taking on real-world responsibilities.

In a starred review, Publishers Weekly notes that this sequel "continues to offer Snyder's well-nigh irresistible combination of suspense, wit and avowal of the imagination.

Otherwise, the dubiousness of kids of varying ages playing together and dearth of helpful background relegate this to a just-average mystery.