THIS TOWN IS A NIGHTMARE

Twin siblings and their friends wage the good fight against aliens intent on taking over Earth in this sequel to This Town Is Not All Right (2020).

Beacon, his twin sister, Everleigh, and their dad fled the fictional Maine town of Driftwood Harbor with their pal Arthur after discovering that an alien race called the Sovereign (or Sov for short) had infiltrated the town, shape-shifting from their natural giant-squidlike forms into human disguises with designs to bring all humans under their control. Hiding in New York City, they befriend Galen, a boy who is homeless, and his Sov-perceiving dog and soon discover that they’re not as far away from the Sov as they’d hoped. Their inevitable return to Driftwood Harbor is characterized by plenty of swift-moving action and good-natured ribbing as they struggle to come up with a plan to rescue the town. The popular setup of underdogs banding together works well in this light science-fiction offering. Nail-biting twists and turns through harrowing situations are ultimately resolved, but Krys can’t quite resist teasing an opening for another installment in the end. The grief Beacon and Everleigh are still processing following their brother’s death a year earlier is realistic. Those familiar with the first volume will gain more from this one. All main characters are cued as White.

A lively adventure for tween readers.