Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders… George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers).

To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty.

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment. Passionate, thought-provoking, and riotously funny. The novel draws inspiration from Bengali folktales, Hindu epics, and India’s fight for independence from the British most importantly, it highlights the innate power of linguistic and cultural diversity and heritage. DasGupta’s carefully crafted characters are convincing, and the fast-paced narrative will keep readers thoroughly engaged. Ultimately, the reluctant heroine must decide where she belongs in her people’s fight for independence from the snakes.

Pinki’s quest to help Sesha and control her own fire leads her to befriend several interesting people, including Moon Maiden Chandni. In exchange for this treachery, Sesha offers Pinki control over her powers. When she accidentally sets fire to her school, a humiliated Pinki is persuaded by the evil serpent prince Sesha to steal moonbeams from the Moon Mother that he claims will power a superweapon and defeat the resistance. She also doesn’t have any friends, something made worse by the fact that she cannot control her powers, sometimes wreaking havoc. Despite being the daughter of legendary freedom fighters, Pinki is not sure she can identify with the rakkhosh resistance. This follow-up to The Serpent’s Secret(2018) returns readers to the fantastical land of the Kingdom Beyond Seven Oceans and Thirteen Rivers. In a world where serpents have colonized humans and demon rakkhosh alike, fire rakkhoshi Pinki goes on a quest for belonging and freedom.

The Chaos Curse by Sayantani DasGupta