The Chaos King [Hardcover]

Laura Ruby (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

In a city filled with wonders, one girl can do the most wonderful thing of all.

Georgie is special.

Not only is she the one person who can disappear at will, but since she found her parents, she's become The Richest Girl in the Universe. She may be special, but is she lucky? Her parents have forbidden her to vanish, her new school is full of snooty heiresses, she's had a growth spurt that makes her as graceful as a grizzly, and her best friend in the world, a belligerent boy named Bug, seems to have abandoned her.

But adventure is just around the corner, as a madman who calls himself The Chaos King has Georgie and Bug in his sights. In their efforts to save themselves from his insane plans, Georgie and Bug discover some of the amazing secrets of the city they love. Their journey will lead them to confront a pack of blasé vampires, a living lion of stone, a disgruntled teenage poet, a candy-loving sloth, The Second Richest Girl in the Universe, a fussy man named Mr. Fuss, and finally, the brink of the unimaginable. . . .

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–7—Georgie, The Richest Girl in the Universe, is still getting to know her parents after being kidnapped as a baby by a gangster and living in an orphanage her entire childhood. She should be happy, but now she has to deal with self-centered heiresses at her private school and her gangly body that always seems to be going in the wrong direction at the wrong time. While most people can fly, Georgie has the unique talent of being able to become invisible. Odd things start happening to her, like fashion-conscious vampires trying to get into her penthouse apartment at night. Her friend, Bug, has become a celebrity as the best flier and during the filming of a commercial he is briefly dragged into the river by a playful giant octopus. Bug even saves Roma, The Second Richest Girl in the Universe, from a prehistoric giant sloth that takes her up the Empire State Building and will only be lured down with chocolate candies. When Georgie and Bug finally reconnect again, they are determined to save the city by finding The Book of the Undead and the pen that activates its magic. They have help from their pet bird and cat, as well as a book club of elderly women, a volunteer at the public library, and Georgie's all-knowing Polish cook. Renee Raudman skillfully and enthusiastically narrates Laura Ruby's fantasy/adventure (Eos, 2007), giving a unique voice to each character . Readers who like action, humor, and fantastical turns of events will like this unusual adventure that is full of unique characters and seemingly random chaos.—Teresa Wittmann, Westgate School, Edmonds, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Fun [and] fast-paced.” (Chicago Tribune )

“A fun and fast fantasy ride…Ruby has produced a witty, quick read that’s sure to be a hit.” (School Library Journal )

“Grand amusement for the hip and clever.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“A wonderful story about how being different can be infinitely preferable to being ordinarily beautiful.” (KLIATT )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060752580
• ISBN-13: 978-0060752583
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,609,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Ruby is the author of books for adults, teens and children. Her titles include the Edgar-nominated tween mystery LILY'S GHOSTS (now updated for 2011), the children's fantasy THE WALL AND THE WING (3/06) and a sequel, THE CHAOS KING (5/07) all published by Harpercollins. She writes for older teens as well, and her debut young adult novel, GOOD GIRLS (9/06), also from Harpercollins, was a Book Sense Pick for fall 2006 and an ALA Quick Pick for 2007. She followed this with the teen novels PLAY ME (2008) and BAD APPLE (2009).

Her short fiction for adults has appeared in various literary magazines, including Other Voices and The Florida Review. A collection of these stories, I'M NOT JULIA ROBERTS, was published by Warner Books in January 2007. Called "hilarious and heart-wrenching" by People and "a knowing look at the costs and rewards of remaking a family," by the Miami Herald, the book was also featured in Redbook, Working Mother, and USA Today, among others.

Raised in the wilds of suburban New Jersey, Laura Ruby now lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two cats that serve as creative advisors.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun quirky tale, December 29, 2007

By 

Kim Baccellia, "YA Books Central reviewer... (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chaos King (Hardcover)

Georgie is special. She can disappear at will, has discovered her parents and has become The Richest Girl in the Universe.

If she's so special then why does she feel so unlucky?

Her parents have forbidden her to use her ability, she feels awkward, and The Second Richest Girl in the Universe hates her. And what's with her best friend Bug? He now seems too involved with his celebrity status to have anything to do with her.

But just when she thinks no one notices her, a Punk named Mandelbrot invites her to a party. One she has to attend or else.

Along the way she meets vampires who are more interested in poppyseed bagels than blood, a candy-loving sloth, an old ladies book club that puts new meaning to the phrase words have power, living lions of stone, and a fussy man named Mr. Fuss. Weird things are happening in her city and it's up to both her and Bug to find a special book to help set things right.

This is a fun tale with quirky characters. Most of the characters can fly--well, maybe only bounce, except Bug, who can fly. I related with Georgia's wanting to disappear--but then what teen hasn't felt this way? The vampires in this story are hilarious. Who knew that maybe Sesame Street's Court Drac actually might have been right?

This book is sure to appeal to those who love quirky tales.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good second book in series, August 1, 2007

By 

J. Tanny (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chaos King (Hardcover)

The Chaos King, Laura Ruby's second book about Gurl and Bug, took up right where her first novel, The Wall and the Wing, left off. The cliff hanger from the last chapter of the first book was immediately picked up in this sequel so the adventures start from the very first page.

Ruby did an amazing job bringing in new characters without abandoning all of her old ones. Georgie (formally Gurl) is learning how to be a daughter at the same time she is learning what it means to be the Wall. Bug is craving fame from his good looks to cover up his loneliness. Together the two characters have great chemistry. You can tell from the writing that Ruby likes her main characters and likes writing about them.

The Chaos King was an extremely enjoyable read. I look forward to Laura Ruby's next book in the series

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Adequate, July 22, 2010

By 

Andrea Monk (TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Chaos King (Hardcover)

After reading The Wall and the Wing I had some high expectations for this novel that were not entirely met. The book was entertaining, but it lacked the warm quirkiness of the city that author Laura Ruby had expressed in the previous novel. The hints at young romance were very nice, but the overprotective parents, vampires, strange animals coming to life, The Second Richest Girl in the Universe, the Punk named Mandelbrot, etc. all conspired to weigh the story down. I think it's just a classic case of trying to put too many different pieces into a story. If it had been more concise I would have enjoyed this book more. However, I am still hoping a 3rd installment will be coming out soon. Ruby has created an enticing universe and I look forward to seeing where she takes it next.