THE CHAOS KING

Another zany adventure unfolds in a startlingly odd alternate universe showcasing Ruby’s humorous narration and including characters from The Wall and the Wing (2006.) Bug and Gurl haven’t been close since Gurl became Georgie, “The Richest Girl in the World,” and landed with a loving family. Bug won a city-wide Flyfest contest and has been doing one commercial after another to be independent of Sweetcheeks Grabowski, his criminal father. Bullied and teased by the “Second Richest Girl in the World,” Georgie breaks her promise not to use her invisible powers and finds herself in deep trouble as the Professor’s misplaced pen causes trouble. Hungry giant sloths called Kong, vampires who love bagels, Punk aka Mandelbrot, Mr. Fussy and crows who transform into book-club-attending old ladies are just some of the unusual characters who keep the action firing and the suspense building. Having read the first book isn’t required, but would be encouraged, as this is definitely a sequel in tone and style. Grand amusement for the hip and clever. (Fiction. YA)