The adventures of Sebastian and Evie continue right where the first book in the series left off. Sebastian has been kidnapped by the Terrible Trio, See No Good, Hear No Good, Say No Good. Evie wants to rescue him, but Sebastian really has to rescue himself, given how far away from home the Terrible trio have taken him. Fortunately, he is quick-witted, resolute, and nimble, and also lucky. Sort of. He falls in with a K-Pop boy band. The boys make him welcome, but their manager thinks that Sebastian is a runaway who needs rescuing, whether he wants to be rescued or not.

These experiences are wildly challenging for the orderly Sebastian. Feelings he has never had before are transforming him. He is discovering that he has previously unguessed-at abilities, never-before noticed inclinations. In a way, despite all the danger and uncertainty, he is having the time of his life.

Meanwhile, Sebastian’s friend Evie teams up with Catherine, an animal expert and one of the Explorers known as the Filipendulous Five, in an effort to 1) rescue Sebastian, 2) find Evie’s missing grandfather, and 3) find the other three members of the original group, not necessarily in that order. First, however, Evie and Catherine have a couple of Great White Sharks to deal with.  And while Sebastian is learning surprising things about himself, Evie is having adventures that are utterly at odds with the constrained, lonely life she had led at school.  

This second book in the trilogy has fewer forays into weird and fun side issues and meta-narratives than the first; it’s more focused on character development and complexities. The tone is more serious, because the protagonists are encountering less in the way of physical dangers and more in the way of setbacks and disappointments. But that’s where they do their growing. ~~  Chris Wozney

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