Frazzled Ordinary mishaps and inevitable catastrophes

Middle-child Abbie Wu is struggling to adjust to middle school and convinced she has bad luck. A (terrorizing) feline addition to the family makes matters worse, but a new school friend who's less concerned about what others think helps Abbie relax somewhat. Despite the same entertaining cartoons and lively tone as its predecessor, Abbie's problems and worries don't feel as quite compelling in this second Frazzled book. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sixth-grader Abbie Wu knows that "if something CAN go wrong, it definitely WILL!" And it does. The hilariously glum Asian protagonist of Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom (2016) is back with more mishaps and doom. Over Abbie's protests, her little sister, Clara, is given a cat for her birthday, and of course, Mr. Felix McSnuggles the Third diabolically terrorizes Abbie when no one else is looking. At school, the sixth-graders are finally getting their own lockersbut when Abbie goes to unlock hers, she finds that it has been "hijacked by a MONSTER." Things continue downhill when the science teacher assigns everyone to a partner for the upcoming unit, and inevitably Abbie's partner is...the locker thief. While readers may anticipate the general plot direction ("I guess, when you think about it, some things really do work out"), they will also appreciate Abbie's astute observations ("Teachers never let you choose your partner, and unless you were very very lucky, you usually got someone you never really wanted to get at all") and Vivat's fresh, funny illustrations. Cartoon vignettes seamlessly capture a diverse castin a telling aside, Abbie's portrayal of teachers mistaking her for another Asian girl, Abbie Wong, is particularly sharp. A realistic, humorous, and compassionate treatment of middle school angst makes for an accessible and appealing read. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.