THE CLUE OF THE LINOLEUM LEDERHOSEN

Lost in the labyrinth of metafiction, this sequel to Whales on Stilts (2005) continues its send-up of everything from chick-lit to the Hardy Boys, from books that address the reader to books once popular, but now shelf-sitters. Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, whose books no one reads much anymore, Katie Mulligan of the Horror Hollow series, and their quiet sidekick Lily take off for a summer vacation. Katie wants a break, to sit by the pool, read Snazzy magazine and not solve mysteries. But wait! A priceless necklace vanishes. A man in a dark cloak moves about by echolocation. The Manley Boys, the Hooper Quints and the Cutesy Dell Twins are also in residence—but the Quints vanish! A near-impossible tangle of plots (nefarious), twists (hilarious) and asides (ridiculous) lead to, among other things, an entire subplot based on the throwaway line of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and a snot-based death threat. Fiendishly clever withal—bending time a bit, warping references beyond all reason—it could be called profound if it weren’t so knee-slappingly funny. Gee willikers, guys, when’s the next one? (Fiction. 9-14)