THELMA BEE IN TOIL AND TREBLE

A Massachusetts sixth grader reckons with malevolent forces when trouble returns to her hometown in the follow-up to The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee (2016).

Science-minded Thelma previously learned that she was a Disiri, a descendant of a magical matrilineal lineage. Her own fire-starting power is connected to the heat of her emotions. Thelma and her friends from the Riverfish Valley Paranormal Society are investigating strange happenings around town, beginning with Mrs. Moses, who has detected a shadowy humanlike figure smelling like goats and stealing gasoline from her farm. Later, eighth grader Aimee Cho is accused by her brother, Bobby, of being a member of a coven disguised as the school’s a cappella group, Toil and Treble. Bobby crashes the next RVPS meeting, asking to join them and bearing evidence of witchcraft. That’s when twins Myst and Malfus, hosts of the provocative paranormal show Ghost Slayerz, roll into town. Skeptical about their abilities, Thelma keeps a close eye on their investigations in Riverfish. Meanwhile, Jenny Sullivan, the newest member of Toil and Treble, goes missing—and Thelma thinks that Aimee has a secret. This sequel is accessible to readers new to the series. Filled with many chilling and suspenseful moments, the text is also witty and humorous and addresses relationship issues, such as Thelma’s growth in navigating her feelings and her distress over her mother’s Disiri business travel. Main characters default to White; the Cho siblings’ surname cues them as East Asian American.

Fun supernatural thrills.