Game of stars [eBook - NC Kids Digital Library] : Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond Series, Book 2

The sequel to the critically acclaimed debut-fantasy The Serpent's Secret ! Saving the multiverse is no game When the Demon Queen shows up in her bedroom, smelling of acid and surrounded by evil-looking bees, 12-year-old Kiranmala is uninterested. After all, it's been weeks since she last heard from her friends in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternate dimension where she was born as an Indian princess. But after a call to action over an interdimensional television station and a visit with some all-seeing birds, Kiran decides that she has to once again return to her homeland, where society is fraying, a terrible game show reigns supreme, and friends and foes alike are in danger. Everyone is running scared or imprisoned following the enactment of sudden and unfair rules of law. However, things are a lot less clear than the last time she was in the Kingdom Beyond. Kiran must once again solve riddles and battle her evil Serpent King father - all while figuring out who her true friends are, and what it really means to be a hero. From School Library Journal: Gr 4–7—In this sequel to The Serpent's Secret , Princess Kiranmala is back, ready to face her nemesis, the Serpent King Sesha, who also happens to be her father. Kiran's friend, Prince Neel, has been kidnapped by Sesha's minions and is being held prisoner deep in an underwater prison; something weird is going on with Prince Lal. Worst of all, Sesha has engineered a game show ("Who Wants to Be a Demon Slayer?") to entice Kiran into his trap. His ultimate aim: to capture the two magical stones that will allow him to vanquish Kiran and achieve immortality. Luckily, there's an array of characters inspired by Bengali folklore, literature, and pop culture to help Kiran complete her quest. Rakkhosh demons on skateboards make an appearance and new figures such as Bangoma and Bangomee (giant pigeons with the heads of humans) are also enlisted to fight the bad guys. Character development is somewhat limited by the sheer number of chase scenes, monster fights, and near misses, but readers who enjoyed the first book will continue to root for Kiran as she finds her true self and stands up for what's right. VERDICT This action-packed sequel is a must-buy where the first book is popular.—Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX Reviews: "A must-read for every aspiring Demon Slayer!" -- Soman Chainani, New York Times bestselling author of The School for Good and Evil "DasGupta once again wittily meshes Bengali folktales, intergalactic science, and a spectacular world of her own creation in a yarn that is part hero's quest, part immigrant coming-of-age tale." -- Kirkus , starred review "Action-packed." -- School Library Journal, starred review "Game of Stars [is] a fun, funny adventure, more exciting than an auto rickshaw ride across dimensions. More Kiranmala, please!" -- Tracy Baptiste, New York Times bestselling author of The Jumbies "I love this series." -- Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor winning author of The Inquisitor's Tale and A Tale Dark and Grimm 384 pages Age Range: 8 - 12 years Publisher: Scholastic Press (26 Feb. 2019) Language: English ISBN-10: 133818573X ISBN-13: 978-1338185737 Saving the multiverse is no game in this New York Times bestseller! When the Demon Queen shows up in her bedroom, smelling of acid and surrounded by evil-looking bees, twelve-year-old Kiranmala is uninterested. After all, it's been weeks since she last heard from her friends in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternate dimension where she was born as an Indian princess. But after a call to action over an interdimensional television station and a visit with some all-seeing birds, Kiran decides that she has to once again return to her homeland, where society is fraying, a terrible game show reigns supreme, and friends and foes alike are in danger. Everyone is running scared or imprisoned following the enactment of sudden and unfair rules of law.However, things are a lot less clear than the last time she was in the Kingdom Beyond. Kiran must once again solve riddles and battle her evil Serpent King father — all while figuring out who her true friends are, and what it really means to be a hero. When the Demon Queen shows up in her bedroom, smelling of acid and surrounded by evil-looking bees, twelve-year-old Kiranmala is uninterested. After all, it's been weeks since she last heard from her friends in the Kingdom Beyond, the alternate dimension where she was born as an Indian princess. But after a call to action over an interdimensional television station and a visit with some all-seeing birds, Kiran decides that she has to once again return to her homeland, where society is fraying, a terrible game show reigns supreme, and friends and foes alike are in danger. Everyone is running scared or imprisoned following the enactment of sudden and unfair rules of law. However, things are a lot less clear than the last time she was in the Kingdom Beyond. Kiran must once again solve riddles and battle her evil Serpent King father -- all while figuring out who her true friends are, and what it really means to be a hero Months after Kiranmala's adventure in the Kingdom Beyond, a vision of the Demon Queen starts showing up in her bedroom, trying to tell Kiran something, but getting cutoff before she can finish; then she starts seeing an advertisement for an archery contest on her family's interdimensional television and Kiran realizes that she must return to her place of birth--where society is falling apart, a reality show is taking over, her friends are in danger, and she, once again, becomes the warrior princess she was meant to be.