DON'T EAT THE BIRTHDAY BOY!

A sweet-tempered monster longs to reunite with an old friend.

Back in the Abyss of Horror after a successful first mission, El Cucuy lines up to get his assigned name and Clump (or familial unit): what every cuco, coco, cuca, and cucuy dreams about! Yet the little monster would rather be back in his cozy cactus pot beside Ramón (the boy he was tasked with frightening in the previous book) in the human world, even if their friendship might mean banishment to the Forest of Failure. When negotiations for a new contract between humans and boogeymen collapse, threatening longtime peace as some monsters begin an uprising, El Cucuy moves quickly to protect Ramón, who’s dealing with another crisis: His mother has invited his bully to his birthday party. Plus, other boogeymonsters—the Ninki Nanka, the Baba Yaga, and the Butzemann—plan to crash the party. Leaning on its predecessor’s sublime worldbuilding, this latest aventura cleverly expands its roster of creatures, incorporating folklore from around the world (El Cucuy is a creature from Latin American mythology). Higuera keeps the humorous streak intact, deftly weaving in comical observations from both El Cucuy and Ramón about the human and monster worlds. Abandoning ghostly purple for slimy green, Perdomo’s duotone artwork keeps the lighthearted spookiness alive, enriching the recurring thematic beats of chosen familia and generous friendship once again. Ramón and his familia are cued Latine.

A grander, badder boogey world, with an even larger monstrous heart than its predecessor.