An invigorating take on a well-worn paranormal trope.
While undergoing a mysterious transformation, a lonely, bookish boy sees his home with new eyes.
Frank Steen has just turned 9; he has few friends, so he celebrates with his family, his elderly neighbor, and her dog Woof, who uncharacteristically bites Frank when offered a piece of cake. A week later, Frank dreams that he’s a shaggy, scampering animal roaming the woods—only to awaken to muddy paw prints beside his bed. After reading up on the supernatural, he deems himself a “werewoof” (rather than ripping people apart like a werewolf, he just wants tummy rubs). But he realizes that the adults, who have heard rumors of bizarre creatures plaguing the town, see his werewoof form as terrifying, even dangerous. A violent encounter with humans on a local beach leads him to discover a clandestine monster meetup at his local library, a place where his monster-self might finally belong. Though many stories use lycanthropy to explore the trials of coming of age, this Swedish import holds its own in a crowded field. Strandberg’s well-crafted small-town setting and suspenseful pacing draw readers in, while his quietly matter-of-fact prose, speckled with satisfying detail, expresses Frank’s frustration, alienation, and even rage—feelings his young audience will recognize. In Falkenhem’s spooky-cute illustrations, Frank is dark-haired and pale-skinned, while the townspeople vary in skin tone.
An invigorating take on a well-worn paranormal trope. (Fantasy. 7-12)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9798348027285
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and...
Catrina narrates the story of her mixed-race (Latino/white) family’s move from Southern California to Bahía de la Luna on the Northern California coast.
Dad has a new job, but it’s little sister Maya’s lungs that motivate the move: she has had cystic fibrosis since birth—a degenerative breathing condition. Despite her health, Maya loves adventure, even if her lungs suffer for it and even when Cat must follow to keep her safe. When Carlos, a tall, brown, and handsome teen Ghost Tour guide introduces the sisters to the Bahía ghosts—most of whom were Spanish-speaking Mexicans when alive—they fascinate Maya and she them, but the terrified Cat wants only to get herself and Maya back to safety. When the ghost adventure leads to Maya’s hospitalization, Cat blames both herself and Carlos, which makes seeing him at school difficult. As Cat awakens to the meaning of Halloween and Day of the Dead in this strange new home, she comes to understand the importance of the ghosts both to herself and to Maya. Telgemeier neatly balances enough issues that a lesser artist would split them into separate stories and delivers as much delight textually as visually. The backmatter includes snippets from Telgemeier’s sketchbook and a photo of her in Día makeup.
Telgemeier’s bold colors, superior visual storytelling, and unusual subject matter will keep readers emotionally engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-54061-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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