Hobgoblin and the Stanky Eight: 4

In the funky-smelling follow-up to Hobgoblin and the Seven Stinkers of Rancidia, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, our pungent protagonists learn that trouncing a tyrant was just the beginning of their fight to protect democracy. It’s been years since Hobgoblin, Niffy the skunk, and the Seven Stinkers became national heroes by saving their proudly putrid nation from Fiddlefart, the wannabe ogre king. With the victory parade still fresh in their minds (and their noses), a new threat has emerged to take the place of the old one. When a radical anti-stink group of masked thugs called the Clean Crew sweeps in with a plot to scrub out Rancidia and capture the Onion Palace, our heroes must form an unlikely coalition to protect their country and once again save their stinky way of life. In this uproarious, adventure-packed adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Hobgoblin and his friends learn that protecting a democracy isn’t a one-off kind of thing—it requires a nonstop, everyday commitment to community, camaraderie, and collaboration. And though it continues the story of reader-favorite characters, Hobgoblin and the Stanky Eight can be enjoyed as its own stinky standalone for readers unfamiliar with the preceding book.