A light paranormal adventure with themes of friendship and respect.
A vampire and a human forge a friendship while bringing joy to a gloomy village.
Ten-year-old Kevin Aurelius and his two siblings travel with their vampire parents and a slew of creatures including an ogre, werewolves, and trolls—all members of a traveling circus known as the Carnival Monstromo. When a wrong turn strands them in the quiet human town of Lower Drudging, the carnival delays travel to the Festival of Fear and instead advertises a performance for the townsfolk. Kevin has never met a human, but he’s heard his Uncle Dax’s stories and is quite nervous, despite his mother’s reassurance. He soon encounters Lower Drudging resident Susie Cabbage, who each day toils away at a near-endless list of chores for her cruel aunts, Vileous and Dingy Cabbage, who took her in years ago. Susie isn’t missing much, though, since village leaders have forbidden fun to appease the “You-Know-What” living in nearby Cold Mountain. Kevin and Susie team up to save both the Carnival Monstromo and Lower Drudging, along the way finding friendship and personal growth as monsters and humans alike learn not to make snap judgments about one another. Sorrentino’s energetic black-and-white illustrations depict human and monster life (both varied in skin tone); Brown’s occasional potty humor (farts, a dragon’s toilet), tween-friendly ick (nose hair, toe jam), and creative names will tickle funny bones.
A light paranormal adventure with themes of friendship and respect. (map, the Lower Drudging Elementary School Alphabet) (Paranormal. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9798887771502
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cutely grotesque tale with thrills and heart.
A stitched-together creature discovers his purpose.
Fulbert Freakfinder’s Traveling Carnival of Unnatural Wonders has arrived in the village of Grubbers Nubbin, but the show doesn’t wow the jaded audience. Suddenly, howls fill the air, sending the villagers scurrying indoors, and Freakfinder follows the sounds to a dark castle on a hill. Meanwhile, in the castle, Stitch Head, the first creation of Mad Professor Erasmus, hides in the rafters, forgotten for decades, watching his maker animate yet another almost-alive creature. As with past endeavors, Stitch Head is prepared to stop this new creation from bringing harm to the village—and to keep the villagers from destroying the castle in revenge. Freakfinder soon arrives to find new wonders for his carnival, and Stitch Head must decide if he wants to find fame with the carnival or take a chance at new friendships in the castle where he’s lived a lonely life protecting the best friend who forgot him. Young readers looking to move beyond early chapter books will enjoy this silly, creepy story, while older readers will recognize the deeper themes of loneliness, friendship, being forgotten, and looking beyond the surface to discover that the real monsters are sometimes human. Reminiscent of Edward Gorey’s and Charles Addams’ art, the dynamic black-and white illustrations convey characters’ emotions and offer fun details. Human characters are pale-skinned in Williamson’s art.
A cutely grotesque tale with thrills and heart. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781664340626
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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