The chaos monster

DasGupta (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series) returns to exceptional middle-grade storytelling with a new set of adventures that follows 10-year-old twins Kiya and Kinjal, who become unexpected heroes in a different dimension. As the twins explore the Sky Kingdom to solve mysterious events occurring around them, they soon realize that their missing dog is only one of the issues at hand. This dimension is in need of assistance, and they are the only ones who can help. The twins must utilize their specialized interests and passions--Kinjal's bibliophilic and linguistic skills and Kiya's scientific talents--to solve the chain of mysteries, from their missing dog to the disappearance of vital bees. Fans of fast-paced, high-stakes stories featuring sibling dynamics and middle-grade mystery will love indulging in this new story by DasGupta, which features memorable and likable fraternal twin protagonists and magical creatures and mayhem galore.

When 10-year-old Parsippany, N.J., native Kinjal witnesses his mother stretch out her arm "like it was a fire hose being rolled out" to redirect a bee midflight, he sets out to investigate the origins behind this bizarre occurrence. Upon recalling a similar story from Thakurmar Jhuli, a collection of South Asian folk and fairy tales that Kinjal's father occasionally reads to him and his science-loving twin sister Kiya, the siblings track the book down to a locked trunk in the basement. Once they free the tome, it summons a chaos monster that dognaps the tweens' beloved pet, as well as two winged horses, which land in the yard to whisk Kinjal and Kiya to the realm of the Sky Kingdom in pursuit. There they meet Princess Pakkhiraj, who informs the pair that the kingdom's bees are dying and that they must uncover the cause, or unfathomable harm will come both to the kingdom and Earth. DasGupta (Rosewood) launches an energetic new series with a strong environmental focus in this Bengali folktale--inspired fantasy adventure, which teems with action and humor. Fluid b&w illustrations by Tang (the Faeries' Promise series) depict fantastical sequences throughout. Ages 8--12. (July)