Our hapless hero K is back again for another series of misadventures. At school or at play, the poor kid just can't seem to catch a break. I was wild about the first K book, but his tales of woe have lost a little of the charm for me this time around. I did like that the talking beetle, basically K's only friend and confidant, is back again, and that there seems to be a setup for a potential friendship/romance in further volumes. And, indeed, I hope there is more to come. This is a unique series, and I'd definitely like to see it continue.

This is a Middle Grade Graphic Novel, and this is the second book in the K is in Trouble series. I have not read the first book in this series before picking up this book. I found this book fun to read, and the pictures were very cute. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Book 144 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟🌟

What an odd duck of a book! I was quite tickled by the cray² series of unfortunate incidences that K got himself in and out of.

Can't seem to find book 1 unfortunately.

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I want to start this review by noting that I haven't read the first K book, and maybe I am missing some context from that.

The art of this book is really fun. K's personality and the reference to Kafka is clear in the imagery. His face is very expressive and I liked the simple drawings of others, though I felt like the words were perhaps a bit too shouty at times ("K By the Sea," notably).

Overall, I found this book just a little hard to get attached to. The first stories felt less interesting than the later ones--"K Gets Caught" was my personal favorite, perhaps because it was one of the only stories where anyone was at all nice to poor K!

As a boring adult, I didn't love that every adult was so actively mean to K, and my 10 year old found it strange. I know that it is supposed to be strange and Kafka-esque, but it didn't quite read as funny overall to him or me.

There is some very strange fun to be had here, but perhaps for a slightly older audience.

I did laugh out loud at the last page!

I adored K is in Trouble, and was thrilled to see another instalment. As an adult, I'm so tickled by all the subtle and not-so-subtle nods to Kafka through K's various mishaps and mistreatments. I think Gary Clement is a genius in the way he makes it feel accessible and new. However, the first volume didn't do nearly as well in our store as I had hoped, and I fear this will again be too niche. Such a shame. But, on the occasions when I'm able to get it into the hands of the right people, they are instant fans! I guess K is an acquired taste.

K Is in Trouble Again features a young boy who is constantly in "trouble" through no fault of his own. As he goes about the business of visiting his grandparents, going to school, going swimming with his father, and other mundane activities, K continually finds himself in a little bit of a pickle. While the book was relatively charming, it did not stand out to me as phenomenal. Rather than graphic novel, it felt like several picture books condensed into graphic novel format.

Join K in 4 more adventures and mishaps as he finds himself in trouble once again. Whether he is swept out to sea, throwing a snowball, stealing apples or stuck on a sky high diving board - no one truly listens to K to hear his side.

I love this series! K's mishaps are hilarious and his talking beetle is amazing. It's silly for younger readers, but older readers will enjoy the hijinx as well.

ARC Copy...as the title clearly states yep K is in trouble AGAIN via a series of Kafka-ques situations and bad luck with heavy doses of equally bad adults in his life! Hilarious!

I have read some Kafka, though never The Trial which was the basis for K Is In Trouble, the first volume of Gary Clement’s excellent introduction of the younger generation to the Kafkaesque genre. Here in the second volume, K Is In Trouble Again, Clement seems to have moved into totally original storylines for our long-suffering young protagonist, though those who have read more Kafka may see parallels I have missed.

This second book loses a little of the Kafkaesque edge that the first one possessed. But only a very little. In this volume, K’s troubles come more from coincidence and natural forces and less from angry adults refusing to listen. There is more slapstick and the problems tend not to be as small and personal, but Clement retains his deft touch for visually depicting quiet despair and isolation, especially in the middle chapters. The perhaps the most interesting departure from the first volume is the much stronger interconnection of the stories, bound together by running gags, with the first and last stories being directly connected.

The biggest single change from the previous volume is that these stories contain more hope. They still are far from cheerful, but the hope is definitely there.

I am eager to see if Clement is going to write further adventures of K, and if so, if he will choose to increase the hope until he leaves his literal inspiration behind entirely, or if he is setting us readers up just to knock us down harder later. I think he is skillful enough that I would enjoy it either way.

K is in Trouble AGAIN is a sequel that manages to recapture the charm of the first book without the routine getting stale. I am not typically a fan of "bad things keep happening to the same person and nobody believes them" humor, so I had avoided the first book in the series for longer than I should have. In that, and in this follow-up, Clement walks that tightrope impeccably. You're frustrated on K's behalf, but you're having such a good time following his adventures, you're not cringing.
Plus, this sequel features an excellent recurring goat that will definitely appeal to young readers. This is one I will be purchasing for my library.

I didn't like this book. Made it through the first two stories, then gave up. The illustrations are pretty though.