Molly and the Mutants (Far Flung Falls #2)

Slangerup, Eric Jon. Molly and the Mutants (Far Flung Falls #2)

August 22, 2023 by Aladdin/Simon and Schuster

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Things have changed in Molly's world since Molly and the Machine. Her father is less depressed, and is now doing Jazzercize at home with Vilomena. Gruncle is gone, and the family is still dealing with his estate and many ex-wives. Arvin and Margo seem to like-like each other, and Margo is intent on finding Molly a boy to kiss. Ew! Molly would much rather ride around on Pink Lightning 2, her blinged out, equipment rich bicycle, especially when weird things start to happen again. There are giant frogs in the woods, and her cat Crank goes missing. The robot's head in the backyard lets her know that Crank wandered off, but with many other cases of missing pets, she's worried. It doesn't help when the group comes across the skeleton of the pig, Houdini, who was also reported missing. Even the school gets involved, reminding the students about their SAFER initiative... Stay Away From Everything Risky! Of course, none of the kids do this. Intent on confronting the three eyed, monster frogs, they take to the woods with a variety of homemade weaponry and vehicles (as well as the robot!) to try deal with the mutants and figure out their connection to the missing pets. There is some help that arrives from a surprising source with ties to Molly's family history, but will it be enough to retrieve Crank?

Strengths: Slangerup's 1980s representation is strong; there's Rhonda playing Cindy Lauper music on the bus, Officer Wasserbaum warning the children about the evils of Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss, and school classes that take place in "portables" that seem to be permanent fixtures at the school. (Is this just an Ohio thing, or do portables exist elsewhere?) There's also a ton of action and adventure, with the children riding around town and the woods fighting all manner of interesting monsters with a lot of ingenuity and enthusiasm. Molly is an engaging character who works well with her friends, and tries to navigate her father's new relationship, fifth grade projects, and friend dynamics while having to hurtle about the woods fighting mutants. Quite an interesting and unique book. 
Weaknesses: I'm not a huge fan of the "all the pets are going missing" trope, but this at least gives a different spin on it, since it's not the standard pet napping ring. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like the grody to the max 1980s monster vibe of Stranger Things (which I still haven't seen!) that surfaces in books like Berk and Mitchell's Camp Murderface or Condie's The Darkdeep.