Winston Chu vs. the wingmeisters

Gr 5 Up--In the second book of Winston Chu's adventures, the magpie Mr. Gu is trying to take over the city by running for San Francisco's mayor. Once Winston, Mav, Cassa, Bijal, Monroe, and Philippa realize that Mr. Gu is putting bird brains into human bodies, they know it's time to save the world again. With the help of old adversary Mr. Pang (Mr. Gu's brother) and his oddities store, Pang's Whimsies, they arm themselves against Mr. Gu and an unexpected accomplice. With a first-person narrative, the novel establishes a self-reflective tone of moving on as grief is being processed and change has begun, which in return inspires hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As each side quest is completed to achieve the overall goal of defeating Mr. Gu, Winston discovers what type of person and friend he wants to be while overcoming his own pride and anger. There are references to Chinese and Senegalese cultural traditions by way of food and mythology. VERDICT A rollicking sequel that focuses on friendship, grief, and overcoming your fears that will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the first book in Lee's series.--Jessica Calaway

Winston Chu finds himself entangled in the family dynamics of sorcerous magpies expelled from heaven in this duology closer. After foiling the plans of Mr. Pang--a magpie in human form, who had an enchanted shop filled with oddities--Chinese American Winston, older sister Philippa, and best friends Mav, Bijal, and Cassa are on high alert. Mr. Pang warned them that Mr. Gu, his magpie brother who's posing as an environmental lawyer, is the real enemy; his campaign to become mayor of San Francisco is just the beginning. After breaking the spells cast on them and discovering Mr. Gu's lair on the Magic Isle, the group realizes his endgame: As part of his mayoral campaign, Mr. Gu placed booths offering free internet access throughout the city, turning users into Birdbrains. The birds, who now possess human brains, make up his "unstoppable army." Winston, Philippa, and their racially diverse friend group reluctantly team up with Mr. Pang to try to send Mr. Gu back to heaven. Readers need to be familiar with the events of Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies (2023) in order to follow the packed, quick-paced plot of this sequel. Mirroring the sudden twists, somewhat random magic used, and solutions that seem to come out of the blue, the worldbuilding can feel a bit overwhelming and the storyline can be tricky to follow. As before, allusions to Chinese folklore are woven into the story. At times chaotic but a magical romp nevertheless. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.