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Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody #2
The Hat of Great Importance
In the second book in this wry series, award-winning author Patrick Ness explores school anxiety and the highs and lows of friendship with sidesplitting honesty—and pits our heroes against a slippery new supervillain.
On what should be a normal school day at their normal school—recently rebuilt at great expense by the town’s supervillain after her son destroyed it with a giant robot pelican suit—things begin to spin out of control for monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia and Meil the hawk the moment they board the school bus. For no good reason, Zeke is deeply unsettled by Daniel’s new pink hat. The tower sprouting on the town’s tallest hill surely contains a Death Ray of Death. And Meil’s predator instincts have kicked in: what if he accidently eats his friends or their new classmate, Peggy the flounder, in her portable aquarium? At school, Zeke suspects the new guidance counselor—who hails from the same pelican crime family as their nemesis—of turning Daniel and Alicia against him. Or was it something Zeke said? With lively graphic illustrations, breakneck action, and a big heart, book two blends droll satire with belly laughs to prove that when life turns up the heat ray, you get to choose who to be. Even unlikely reptilian heroes need the courage to say they’re sorry.
On what should be a normal school day at their normal school—recently rebuilt at great expense by the town’s supervillain after her son destroyed it with a giant robot pelican suit—things begin to spin out of control for monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia and Meil the hawk the moment they board the school bus. For no good reason, Zeke is deeply unsettled by Daniel’s new pink hat. The tower sprouting on the town’s tallest hill surely contains a Death Ray of Death. And Meil’s predator instincts have kicked in: what if he accidently eats his friends or their new classmate, Peggy the flounder, in her portable aquarium? At school, Zeke suspects the new guidance counselor—who hails from the same pelican crime family as their nemesis—of turning Daniel and Alicia against him. Or was it something Zeke said? With lively graphic illustrations, breakneck action, and a big heart, book two blends droll satire with belly laughs to prove that when life turns up the heat ray, you get to choose who to be. Even unlikely reptilian heroes need the courage to say they’re sorry.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Ness
57 books18.7k followersPatrick Ness, an award-winning novelist, has written for Radio 4 and The Sunday Telegraph and is a literary critic for The Guardian. He has written many books, including the Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Crash of Hennington, Topics About Which I Know Nothing, and A Monster Calls.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.
He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he currently lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 1, 2025
With The Hat Of Great Importance, award-winning novelist Patrick Ness continues his school story series, Chronicles Of A Lizard Nobody. The audio version is brilliantly narrated by Robert G. Slade while the print version is enhanced with illustrations in Tim Miller’s individual style. It all starts with the pink hat that Zeke’s friend Daniel wears to school. And on the same day, an integration program sees a fish arriving for classes.
Once again, Ness gives us all important things to consider, stuff that many school kids have to face daily: hurt feelings, confusion, powerlessness, loneliness, unwritten rules, and dubious advice from a school counsellor. Though trying to overcome primal urges, as Miel the hawk has to when he encounters Penny the flounder, probably isn’t something usually faced at school. Ness does it all with great humour: there are laughs on nearly every page.
The plot touches on prejudice and bigotry, even as it includes something as extreme as the Death Ray of Death which, when it melts his house, sees Zeke having a meltdown. He does get the wrong end of the stick more than once, but his mother has wise words: “Sometimes life isn’t fair. All we have control over is how we act. Other people do whatever they do, and as long as they don’t convince us we need to be different than who we are, then that’s our little victory.” A quirky cast and a crazy plot: let’s hope Ness has more of this up his literary sleeve.
Once again, Ness gives us all important things to consider, stuff that many school kids have to face daily: hurt feelings, confusion, powerlessness, loneliness, unwritten rules, and dubious advice from a school counsellor. Though trying to overcome primal urges, as Miel the hawk has to when he encounters Penny the flounder, probably isn’t something usually faced at school. Ness does it all with great humour: there are laughs on nearly every page.
The plot touches on prejudice and bigotry, even as it includes something as extreme as the Death Ray of Death which, when it melts his house, sees Zeke having a meltdown. He does get the wrong end of the stick more than once, but his mother has wise words: “Sometimes life isn’t fair. All we have control over is how we act. Other people do whatever they do, and as long as they don’t convince us we need to be different than who we are, then that’s our little victory.” A quirky cast and a crazy plot: let’s hope Ness has more of this up his literary sleeve.
July 11, 2025
The Hat of Great Importance, book 2 in the Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody series by Patrick Ness and Tim Miller, was…sadly, not much fun to read.
Our monitor lizard heroes, Zeke and Alicia and Daniel, are still walking their Hall Monitor beat and attracting trouble in school and out. But this can of worms kicks off with a hat. Yup, a hat. That leads to a possible shady Guidance Counselor and a Death Ray of Death. Sounds fun, right? It should have been.
Somehow all the pieces, characters, and emotions don’t click into place though. The story felt discombobulated. At one point, I even asked myself…”What is going on?” Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia were on edge and not communicating right from the start. Tension continues through most of the book, which for me added up to very few laughs and smiles. Some delightful pieces were right there at the ready, but they just weren’t utilized. Like the Death Ray of Death! That could have been so much fun. It somehow wasn’t though. *shrugs*
I still loved and rooted for Zeke. Daniel still cracked me up with his hysterical comments and questions. And their big hearts were there on the page at times. I could see what the story wanted to say about friendship and loyalty and prejudices, but it missed the mark for me. Too many things were left unsaid.
France on Zeke’s knee though? THAT still made me laugh.
I loved the first book, Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody. I highly recommend you meet the gang there. :)
So, this series is all tied up. One win and one “meh” read so far. I can’t wait to see how book 3 goes. Here’s hoping Ness and Miller bring back the fun.
January 16, 2026
i loved the first one but this one didn’t do it for me
July 19, 2025
This series is wacky and fun! I really enjoy these lizards and the other animals in the town. When a Death Ray of Death threatens the town, what is Zeke to do about it? And when his friends fall out with him, is there something untoward happening? I love how quirky this is. Made me smile loads and I adore the illustrations!
June 14, 2025
What worked:
This book is nice for emerging or reluctant readers. They can experience reading success by completing the short chapters, and the amusing illustrations encourage engagement. The main characters are three monitor lizards, and the principal assigns them jobs as the only school hall monitors. The story includes funny puns like this, although the narrator tells readers it shouldn’t be blamed for them. Many pages include footnotes where the narrator explains things mentioned. Although it’s already light-hearted, they often add more levity to the story.
Even though the plot tells an innocent story of good friends, it still includes issues that might be found in typical classrooms. The lizards have a conflict with a bully, although he happens to be the son of the town’s arch villain and wants to follow in her footsteps. A new student arrives, and she’s an exchange student from a fish school (no pun intended). Alicia spends more time with the student, helping her adjust to the change. Daniel is excited that his new, pink (salmon-colored?) hat is noticed by other classmates. As a result, Zeke feels left out and a little jealous of the attention his friends are receiving. This makes Zeke feel angry, but he doesn’t know how to deal with it appropriately. Another friend, a blind falcon, has trouble handling his feelings of anxiety.
What didn’t work as well:
The country of France is on Zeke’s knee, which is pretty strange. It’s not a tattoo but the actual country. France acts like another character, but it doesn’t add much to the plot.
The final verdict:
The book presents an unusual story of friendship, anxiety, and anger. Young readers can learn a little about these topics from the characters’ successes and mistakes. The book won’t appeal to everyone, but you should give it a chance.
This book is nice for emerging or reluctant readers. They can experience reading success by completing the short chapters, and the amusing illustrations encourage engagement. The main characters are three monitor lizards, and the principal assigns them jobs as the only school hall monitors. The story includes funny puns like this, although the narrator tells readers it shouldn’t be blamed for them. Many pages include footnotes where the narrator explains things mentioned. Although it’s already light-hearted, they often add more levity to the story.
Even though the plot tells an innocent story of good friends, it still includes issues that might be found in typical classrooms. The lizards have a conflict with a bully, although he happens to be the son of the town’s arch villain and wants to follow in her footsteps. A new student arrives, and she’s an exchange student from a fish school (no pun intended). Alicia spends more time with the student, helping her adjust to the change. Daniel is excited that his new, pink (salmon-colored?) hat is noticed by other classmates. As a result, Zeke feels left out and a little jealous of the attention his friends are receiving. This makes Zeke feel angry, but he doesn’t know how to deal with it appropriately. Another friend, a blind falcon, has trouble handling his feelings of anxiety.
What didn’t work as well:
The country of France is on Zeke’s knee, which is pretty strange. It’s not a tattoo but the actual country. France acts like another character, but it doesn’t add much to the plot.
The final verdict:
The book presents an unusual story of friendship, anxiety, and anger. Young readers can learn a little about these topics from the characters’ successes and mistakes. The book won’t appeal to everyone, but you should give it a chance.
November 10, 2025
Zeke and his buddies Daniel and Alicia are hall monitors at their school, which is fitting since they are monitor lizards. In fact, all characters in this short quirky novel are animals. The principal is a wombat, the bus driver a shrew, another friend is a blind hawk, and the class bully is a pelican. Ness makes some sly allusions to school integration when the first fish is enrolled. Zeke has some history with the bully, Pelicarnassus, and assumes that he and his family are behind the giant tower called The Death Ray of Death. When the new kid, a fish named Peggy who gets around in her aquarium on a little cart, becomes an honorary hall monitor, if feels to Zeke like it’s one of several ways that his friends Daniel and Alicia are leaving him behind. Eventually, his “volcano of rage” erupts. Daniel’s pink hat, which Zeke did not sufficiently admire, is part of the problem.
This short novel is an intriguing blend of humor and social commentary. Zeke and his friends are very much aware that they are the “poor kids” and feel that Pelicarnassus’s holier than thou attitude is based partly on his family’s wealth. Zeke contends with simmering anger and anxiety over his family situation (previously sick mother who now works all the time, absentee father) and the kindly guidance counselor, a pelican, cannot convince him to talk about his feelings. Kids will recognize Zeke as a kid who is hurting, and whose friends care about him, but Zeke himself feels abandoned. The frequent lively black and white artwork goes a long way to injecting humor into a story that has some heavy issues. Footnotes that embellish the text add levity as well. In the end, Zeke understands that despite life’s unfairness, “all we have control over is how we act.”
One problem for me: since I didn’t read the first book in the series, I didn’t get how the country of France exists on Zeke’s knee!
This short novel is an intriguing blend of humor and social commentary. Zeke and his friends are very much aware that they are the “poor kids” and feel that Pelicarnassus’s holier than thou attitude is based partly on his family’s wealth. Zeke contends with simmering anger and anxiety over his family situation (previously sick mother who now works all the time, absentee father) and the kindly guidance counselor, a pelican, cannot convince him to talk about his feelings. Kids will recognize Zeke as a kid who is hurting, and whose friends care about him, but Zeke himself feels abandoned. The frequent lively black and white artwork goes a long way to injecting humor into a story that has some heavy issues. Footnotes that embellish the text add levity as well. In the end, Zeke understands that despite life’s unfairness, “all we have control over is how we act.”
One problem for me: since I didn’t read the first book in the series, I didn’t get how the country of France exists on Zeke’s knee!
August 1, 2025
With The Hat Of Great Importance, award-winning novelist Patrick Ness continues his school story series, Chronicles Of A Lizard Nobody. The audio version is brilliantly narrated by Robert G. Slade while the print version is enhanced with illustrations in Tim Miller’s individual style. It all starts with the pink hat that Zeke’s friend Daniel wears to school. And on the same day, an integration program sees a fish arriving for classes.
Once again, Ness gives us all important things to consider, stuff that many school kids have to face daily: hurt feelings, confusion, powerlessness, loneliness, unwritten rules, and dubious advice from a school counsellor. Though trying to overcome primal urges, as Miel the hawk has to when he encounters Penny the flounder, probably isn’t something usually faced at school. Ness does it all with great humour: there are laughs on nearly every page.
The plot touches on prejudice and bigotry, even as it includes something as extreme as the Death Ray of Death which, when it melts his house, sees Zeke having a meltdown. He does get the wrong end of the stick more than once, but his mother has wise words: “Sometimes life isn’t fair. All we have control over is how we act. Other people do whatever they do, and as long as they don’t convince us we need to be different than who we are, then that’s our little victory.” A quirky cast and a crazy plot: let’s hope Ness has more of this up his literary sleeve.
Once again, Ness gives us all important things to consider, stuff that many school kids have to face daily: hurt feelings, confusion, powerlessness, loneliness, unwritten rules, and dubious advice from a school counsellor. Though trying to overcome primal urges, as Miel the hawk has to when he encounters Penny the flounder, probably isn’t something usually faced at school. Ness does it all with great humour: there are laughs on nearly every page.
The plot touches on prejudice and bigotry, even as it includes something as extreme as the Death Ray of Death which, when it melts his house, sees Zeke having a meltdown. He does get the wrong end of the stick more than once, but his mother has wise words: “Sometimes life isn’t fair. All we have control over is how we act. Other people do whatever they do, and as long as they don’t convince us we need to be different than who we are, then that’s our little victory.” A quirky cast and a crazy plot: let’s hope Ness has more of this up his literary sleeve.
May 27, 2025
I was umming and aahing about returning to this series – it IS Patrick Ness after all – but all that I felt a bit rum about the first book was multiplied here. It's a clunky mix of social drama, where friends fall out due to opinions, statements made and unmade, and because that's what friends do, and fantasy, as the big baddy from the previous book produces a Death Ray of Death and, er, uses it. The wacky situation is not too overtly bonkers for bonkersness sake, but it doesn't help that one of the lizards concerned has France – the full country and all her people – as a knee adornment. It doesn't help either that it's so obviously trying to get us aware of certain friendship advice, or to show what happens when the one lizard gets sad that the other lizards have got new friends to be with.
I was left quite non-plussed by this – which to be fair only matches the high praise these books get. I just don't find them gelling with me at all, and again the Americanisms are only one aspect of this that makes it too easy for me to dismiss. For those who like wry comedy where the drama is as much about the pecking order on the school bus as it is about lethal heat rays, this is wonderful. But this is one series that just doesn't float my boat.
I was left quite non-plussed by this – which to be fair only matches the high praise these books get. I just don't find them gelling with me at all, and again the Americanisms are only one aspect of this that makes it too easy for me to dismiss. For those who like wry comedy where the drama is as much about the pecking order on the school bus as it is about lethal heat rays, this is wonderful. But this is one series that just doesn't float my boat.
September 14, 2025
It's another visit to the school, where monitor lizards Zeke, Daniel, and Alicia, plus a blind hawk named Miel, are beset by friend troubles. It's all because of that darn pink hat that Daniel showed up wearing. Zeke clearly is worried that others will tease his friend over it, and in reality, he doesn't much like it either. The story shows what happens when friends aren't 'exactly' honest, and when a new student arrives, things become even messier. This time, it's Peggy, a flounder, who brings in what really can happen with misunderstandings. Zeke makes assumptions. He really is a good guy, eventually going into harm's way by racing to the top of the Pelicarnassus's home where the Death Ray of Death continues to destroy. Yes, Pelicarnassus, the enemy pelican returns, too, and Zeke is all over it! The illustrations throughout the story, by Tim Miller, delight just as much as in the first book. Friendship is so hard in middle school and Patrick Ness shows those challenges quite poignantly in this new story.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for my copy!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for my copy!
February 10, 2025
thanks to edelweiss and walker books for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review
As a story within this world this is very interesting, but the world feels tooo young and it slowly getting to the right direction like what the synopsis revealed - a new fish student. A fish!
Honestly it's interesting how this universe/series will proceed as the time goes on, since more "stereotypes" was broken here compared to the first book. It was interesting and would really want more new animals in the next book, but I'm worried about how will Ness juggle the characters. So far he did it greatly here.
Now the villain of this book is interesting, to say the least, without going to spoiler territory.
It's a fun light read, which is an improvement on the first one.
As a story within this world this is very interesting, but the world feels tooo young and it slowly getting to the right direction like what the synopsis revealed - a new fish student. A fish!
Honestly it's interesting how this universe/series will proceed as the time goes on, since more "stereotypes" was broken here compared to the first book. It was interesting and would really want more new animals in the next book, but I'm worried about how will Ness juggle the characters. So far he did it greatly here.
Now the villain of this book is interesting, to say the least, without going to spoiler territory.
It's a fun light read, which is an improvement on the first one.
June 26, 2025
Again, Patrick Ness’ series for children is full of ideas and heart, with surprisingly deep messages and lots of humour. But I have to say, this one felt rushed. I found some genuine mistakes in the text and the plot was nowhere near as tight as the previous one. It’s fine and I’m sure kids will love it, but it definitely lacked the genuine considered depth and brilliance of the first one unfortunately.
December 1, 2025
I think these books would be a hard sell to their intended audience. The humor might be too dry, and the salient cultural commentary that gives Lizard Nobody of a bit of a bite seems likely to go over their heads.
That said, I really enjoyed both books in this series. They're weird, laugh out loud funny, surprisingly poignant, and thought provoking.
I'm not sure I'd read a third Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody book, but I'm glad I read these two books.
That said, I really enjoyed both books in this series. They're weird, laugh out loud funny, surprisingly poignant, and thought provoking.
I'm not sure I'd read a third Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody book, but I'm glad I read these two books.
October 18, 2025
I absolutely love this series! It is absolutely hilarious and Patrick Ness does an incredible job of weaving in heavy themes with the humor. This book dealt with friendships, anxiety, prejudice, anger, and mental illness but I laughed the whole way through. I love every character and hope that there are many more books in this series!
June 8, 2025
Not as strong as the first book, but still solid. I would definitely recommend this to any ~10 year olds in your life. France as a knee adornment is the exact kind of Patrick Ness absurdism that I love, though I understand how not everyone would vibe with that.
September 13, 2025
If it wasn’t for the character with two moms—who get mentioned more frequently here than in the first book, but still play no part in the story—I’d give it 4 stars. It’s a super-simple story of how emotions are so complicated. I love it.
February 21, 2025
Review to come
May 17, 2025
Another excellent book in this series that's full of meaningful life lessons. 4.5 ⭐️
June 16, 2025
An incredibly kind book, especially for anyone who's ever had trouble with emotional control.
July 4, 2025
Not as good as the first one, but still a delight and an easy read. The France stuff is just gold. Begs for a film adaptation!
August 11, 2025
funniest books ever
August 20, 2025
Highly recommend this series!
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September 20, 2025Screening read for my library’s Battle of the Books program.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews