Kaza Kingsley
Narrated by Simon Jones

Erec Rex and his friends Bethany, Oscar, Jam, and King Piter are back. So, too, are the mean Stain triplets and the evil mastermind Thanatos Argus Baskania. Erec is still on a quest to become king. The story starts out with him turning partially into a dragon while in a grocery store and soon after being captured by Baskania, who intends to remove Erec's all-seeing dragon eyes and use them to gain control of the world. The protagonist and his friends spend much of the book dodging Baskania and the triplets as they try to complete quests three and four. Quest three has something to do with a "behind," and Kingsley milks that and other incidents for all the toilet humor possible. Quest four, on the other hand, is inspired by Welsh mythology. Throughout, Erec searches for his true parentage and attempts to understand a vision of the future in which King Piter's castle is destroyed. The boy hero with the smart girl sidekick, the wacky magical items, and even the silly food are reminiscent of the "Harry Potter" books. The ongoing adventures that will eventually lead to rulership are suggestive of Garth Nix's "The Keys to the Kingdom" series (Scholastic). Kingsley doesn't have the skills of Rowling or Nix but the excitement keeps the story rolling along despite some clunky dialogue. The book is certainly of interest to readers of the earlier works in the series but is not an easy place for others to start.