Grim Tuesday, by Garth Nix

Yesterday Arthur Penhaligon saved the world. Today he should be resting. But the sound of a telephone warns him that that’s not going to happen.

Having vanquished Mister Monday, the first Trustee of the will of the Architect of the Universe, Arthur is now being challenged by the second Trustee, Grim Tuesday. Grim Tuesday, as well as holding the Second Key, controls the depths of the pit from where Nothing comes. He is demanding Arthur repay a vast debt owed by the previous Mister Monday. Failure to pay will mean financial ruin for Arthur’s family – and the whole world.

Despite his misgivings, Arthur ventures back into the house to take on Grim Tuesday and win the Second Key.

Grim Tuesday picks up where Mister Monday left off, drawing the reader straight back into Arthur’s adventures. Arthur, an unlikely hero, will be someone many teens will relate to: he doesn’t want to be a hero and, on the surface, doesn’t seem to have many of the necessary attributes for a hero. But with a combination of inner strength and help from his varied friends, he triumphs.

Readers will be anxiously watching for the next in the series.

Grim Tuesday, by Garth Nix
Allen & Unwin, 2004