Grim Tuesday 2 (Keys to the Kingdom) [Paperback]

Garth Nix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2004 | Series: Keys to the Kingdom (Book 2)

Second title in Garth Nix's gripping new fantasy adventure series. Arthur Penhaligon didn't think he would ever have to return to the strange house that nearly killed him on Monday -- the house that contains a fantastical and sinister realm inside. But the next day brings new challenges -- in the form of an enemy named Grim Tuesday, who threatens the safety of both Arthur's family and his world. Arthur must retrieve the Second Key from Grim Tuesday in order to save everything -- an adventure that will force him to steal a Sunship, survive a very weird work camp, befriend a bearlike spirit and fight the void Nithlings. Even after all that, he will still have to venture into the scary Far Reaches for an ultimate showdown.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Just 15 minutes after Mister Monday(Scholastic, 2003) ended, with Arthur Penhaligon cleaning up the mess the slothful Mister Monday made of Earth, the asthmatic orphan is summoned again. His new adversary is Grim Tuesday, and once again he finds himself in a battle to the death to get the Second Key. If he gives in to the errant Days or loses the battle against them, he knows they will destroy his own home on Earth as well as the Denizens and inhabitants of the magical House, including his new friend and stalwart companion Suzy Turquoise Blue, one of the children spirited away from plague-ridden Europe by the Pied Piper centuries earlier. Grim Tuesday's weakness is greed, and the themes running through this book all revolve around excesses of manufacturing, copying, and accumulation. As before, Nix creates unusual characters, artifacts, and settings. Once again, Arthur proves himself a worthy hero as he overcomes his fears, weaknesses, and setbacks in order to save the people and the worlds that are depending on him, whether they know it or not. But of course, there will be more challenges to come. The series is aimed at a younger audience than Nix's masterful Sabriel (HarperCollins, 1996) and its sequels. While occasionally longer than they need to be, Arthur Penhaligon's adventures are absorbing and entertaining, with worthy characters and thought-provoking situations.–Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"[Garth Nix is] the coolest read in the playground." Amanda Craig PRAISE FOR MISTER MONDAY: "I just loved Mister Monday, which is an amazing, no-holds-barred fantasy by Garth Nix. This is destined to be a cult series. Every chapter seems to bring something new and wonderful and ends with another surprise. In all honesty, I've never read anything quite like it and I simply can't wait for Tuesday." Anthony Horowitz "Magic splashes across every page! With a likeable unlikely hero, fast-paced plotting and a plethora of mystical oddities, this series is sure to garner a host of fans." Publishers Weekly starred review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childs (June 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007175035
• ISBN-13: 978-0007175031
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,301,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. He also spent five years as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. A full-time writer since 2001, more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world and his work has been translated into 38 languages. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly (US), The Bookseller(UK), The Australian and The Sunday Times (UK). He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nix holds the Key to open the imagination, August 23, 2004

By 

Jilly Copperplate "Jilly Copperplate" (Sunrise, Fl USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2) (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed both Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday and I'm looking forward to Drowned Wednesday. I'm an avid reader and a mom. This series may have been recommended for young children but I borrowed the books from my 15 year old son. He loved them and so did I. Garth Nix is the first author my son ever chose to read for fun. I think this is due to Mr. Nix vivid descriptions of the surreal, supernatural and odd environments, characters and situations. His stories are well thought out and he keeps you on the edge of your seat. In this series he's chosen a hero in an intelligent young boy who happens to be hindered by asthma. In the beginning he believes himself to be a loser, but eventually he becomes our modest hero. I think Arthur's a character that all teenagers can relate to. Even the most athletic and popular teenager can feel isolated by their own insecurities. I also appreciate the message behind the strong, loving family that treats Arthur no differently even though he's adopted. They aren't the focus of the story but they are the backbone of Arthur's strength. This is a great series for drawing kids away from the TV and video games and into the wealth of their own imagination. And its not a bad escape for parents still in touch with their inner child.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not like the first one, August 15, 2004

By 

Kevin Thomson (Vancouver BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2) (Paperback)

When I read the first book of the series, I wasn't quite sure how Garth Nix would pull off the rest of the series while still maintaining to create a new plot for each and every one of them. While I was impressed at what he managed to accomplish with his sequel, I still thought it lacked a bit. What Nix needs to do more is think outside of a set series, which he's done so brilliantly in the past. This is just a wild guess, but at the end of each book, I'm guessing there will be the same outcome.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And you thought Mondays were bad, July 2, 2006

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2) (Paperback)

If you're going to read this book, I strongly recommend that you make sure that you've read "Mister Monday" first. That way you see, I don't have to explain all about the Architect and the Will, and the seven hidden fragments and the treacherous trustees and all that. Just call me lazy if you like.

Our young and most unlikely hero has barely returned from Mister Monday's domain, when the telephone hotline starts ringing again. Arthur quickly learns that Grim Tuesday has found a convenient loophole in the Trustee agreement, and that all Mister Monday's substantial debts have been passed on to him as the new Master of the Lower House. Grim T. means to collect one way or the other, and as the world's economy gets turned on its end, Arthur realizes that he has no choice but to go back and sort it all out, and of course get the second key and some added responsibility that he can well do without.

Greedy Grim Tuesday runs a huge "nothing" mine using slave labor, and makes all the gadgets and widgets and doodads needed by the Days and anybody with the right currency. Lots of new and deadly creatures await Arthur, some of whom are allergic to salt and some to silver, but all have the common goal of inflicting upon him as much pain as possible. With the help of his friend Leaf (from book one) he finally finds the entrance to Tuesday's mineshafts, and begins his new quest, going deep, deep undercover as one of Tuesday's slaves.

Fortunately for him, he gets a little help from Suzy Turquoise Blue, Japeth the walking Thesaurus, Captain Shelvocke the sea-faring brother of the Pied Piper, and to a lesser extent a hairy, materialistic bit of fluff formally known as "eyebrow". Soon he's sailing off into very strange waters to retrieve the second fragment of the Will, with a heavy heart, a broken leg and almost more problems than he can bear.

Exciting and imaginative, although sometimes a tad long on description, Nix wraps this one up rather quickly at the end, and gives a tantalizing glimpse into Wednesday's woes. A must-read if you've completed your Monday reading.



Amanda Richards, July 1, 2006