THE WEIRDIES GET WEIRDER

Ghosts, awful parents, roller-boogie contests, an army of angry groundhogs, and a climactic non-wedding all figure prominently in this follow-up to a decidedly unfortunate series of events.

Based on the final two volumes in a set of audiobook originals, this two-part sequel leads to an improbably happy ending. A long road trip from Hammertoe, Massachusetts (“a hateful little place”), to California provides multiple opportunities for the decidedly odd 10-year-old Weirdie triplets, Barnacle, Melancholy, and Garlic, to sweep up a corps of similar young misfits along with thousands of outraged rodeo clowns, Civil War reenactors, librarians, and other supposed grown-ups. Meanwhile, flashbacks track the children’s thoroughly evil birth parents after they fall into a huge sinkhole and also establish a troubled past for the trio’s sweet adoptive mother, Miss Emily, as she follows her entirely perfect beau (“a snack,” according to her confidante, Tammy) to Los Angeles after initially rejecting his marriage proposal. Though the adult characters and their storylines duel for center stage, and some pop-culture references will quickly age the book, the mildly transgressive brand of humor will draw howls from younger audiences too (“Oh, the shenanigans we got into. Do you remember when we robbed that Girl Scout troop in Salt Lake City? I still have a case of Samoas in the freezer. Those were good times!”). Characters largely present white. Final art not seen.

Heartening proof that happily-ever-afters can come to weird kids too.