We Found a Monster

Acclaimed "monsterologist" KIRK SCROGGS brings his hilariously scary pen to the page in this all-new graphic novel showing that friendship and trust go so much deeper than scaly, slimy, or squishy skin.There's a reason scary movie fan and master of the macabre Casey Clive looks ten times paler and more exhausted than the average sixth-grader: MONSTERS! He's got tons of them! For the last...er...unusual year, monsters have been arriving on Casey's doorstep needing a place to stay, something to eat, and lots and lots of attention. It's getting impossible to keep these haunted houseguests a secret, much less get a good night's sleep. Casey has to find a solution, and fast! But someone is onto Casey's supernatural stash. Zandra, the new girl at school, not only knows about his creature collection, but she's found a monster, too. And it needs his help!Now Casey must juggle location-scouting for his house of horrors, keeping his monsters protected from the townspeople and an evil droid of doom, and navigating middle school. Good thing he can trust Zandra...or can he?

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Sixth grader social outcast Casey Clive is obsessed with monsters, but after his mom died last year, he doesn't have anyone with whom to share his passion. Casey spends most of his free time drawing, taking care of, or hanging out with the secret monster friends who live in his house, hidden from his somewhat handsoff father. One day, there's a new, equally peculiar girl at school, Zandra Rivas, and Casey is surprised to learn that she knows a thing or two about monsters. Together, they must outwit the evil monster collector Faust and his monster-capturing robot. The story takes the form of an illustrated diary, straddling the line between comic and illustrated novel. Some pages are text-heavy, with copious paragraphs of narrative, but the writing isn't overly complex. The pages look like blue-lined notebook paper and feature lettering that mimics handwriting, while the illustrations appear to be rendered in color pencil. Much of the story eschews the use of traditional paneling, though panels are used throughout. The characters are authentically youthful; classmates bully Casey, but the focus is on Casey's friendships, including the burgeoning bond between Casey and Zandra. The monsters are little-known mid-20th-century DC characters (She-Bat, Topo, Spot). Casey is white, Zandra has a darker complexion and a Spanish surname, and art teacher Ms. Kindle is Black. VERDICT Sweet rather than scary, this tale of loyalty and friendship is sure to delight fans of supernaturally silly stories that avoid full horror.-Alea Perez, Elmhurst P.L., ILα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author

Kirk Scroggs is an author-illustrator best known for the Snoop Troop books, It Came from Beneath the Playground and Attack of the Ninja Potato Clones, as well as the series Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet and Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features.

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