A spine-tingling collection that’s dead on for young horror buffs.
The Tales From Beyond the Brain (2019) team returns with 13 more scary stories.
In short, punchy stories, readers face dangerous insects and animals, time- and reality-breaking impossibilities, dangerous imposters, and more. Throughout the variety of the scares, body horror appears again and again—considering the edge-of-puberty audience, it’s a timely theme that’s likely to resonate. Although many characters face unpleasant (or at least ambiguous) ends, truly detailed gross-out bits come off as offbeat and cartoonish (such as a primordial ooze and a transformation prompted by pumpkin pie). Stylized black-and-white illustrations range from spot to full-page. They use line, light, and shadow effectively, highlighting frights in detail while also leaving plenty for readers’ imaginations to fill in. While some stories have a touch of modern technology in the horror, old-fashioned analog tech that modern kids won’t be familiar with repeatedly features as a sinister unknown. In the final story, the point of view shifts to first-person, leading to eventual fourth-wall breakage (that continues on into the acknowledgments, inviting readers to keep the scares alive in the real world). While physical and racial descriptors are largely absent, character names indicate Asian, South Asian, and Latinx characters; illustrations also depict characters as Asian and black in stories without textual indication; and one story based in Hebrew golem lore includes anti-Semitic bullying that confronts a rabbi’s son.
A spine-tingling collection that’s dead on for young horror buffs. (Horror. 8-13)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2458-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
A slowly unfurling delight.
A missing painting, a floating girl, and a mustachioed man: a lonely almost-12-year-old vows to figure it all out.
Middle school has been terrible for Rami Ahmed, and now a painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum, where his mother works as the cleaning crew supervisor. Only the cleaning crew, Ed the security guard, and Rami himself were in the building on the day of the painting’s disappearance. As the theft draws unprecedented interest in the small, largely overlooked museum, the pressure of suspicion starts to grow. When a mysterious girl appears to Rami in the museum—and he recognizes her as the girl who’s portrayed in the stolen painting—he’s certain that she holds the key to its whereabouts. After Rami joins forces with Indian American classmate Veda, an aspiring sleuth, he finds himself in increasingly unexpected situations. The mystery drives this exquisitely paced story that unfolds in short chapters that readers will quickly consume. The characters, though, are the beating heart of this tender, quiet tale. From Rami, the only child of a now-single immigrant mother from Lebanon, to the museum director, who “had that accent that most rich people do…fancy and well educated,” to Agatha, the sun-seeking turtle from the garden by the Penelope who observes, learns, and wants to give joy—each character is drawn with texture, depth, and warmth. Rockefeller’s evocative illustrations enhance the text.
A slowly unfurling delight. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780062956705
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
Classic action-packed, monster-fighting fun
It’s been 42 days since the Monster Apocalypse began, and 13-year-old Jack Sullivan, a self-proclaimed “zombie-fighting, monster-slaying tornado of cool” is on a quest to find and rescue his not-so-secret crush, June Del Toro, whether she needs it, wants it, or not.
Jack cobbles together an unlikely but endearing crew, including his scientist best friend, Quint Baker; Dirk Savage, Parker Middle School’s biggest bully; and a pet monster named Rover, to help him save the damsel in distress and complete the “ULTIMATE Feat of Apocalyptic Success.” Middle-grade readers, particularly boys, will find Jack’s pitch-perfect mix of humor, bravado, and self-professed geekiness impossible to resist. His sidekicks are equally entertaining, and it doesn’t hurt that there are also plenty of oozing, drooling, sharp-toothed monsters and zombies and a host of gizmos and gadgets to hook readers and keep them cheering with every turn of the page. Holgate’s illustrations play an integral role in the novel’s success. They not only bring Brallier’s characters to life, but also add depth and detail to the story, making plain just exactly how big Rover is and giving the lie to Jack’s “killer driving.” The marriage of text and illustration serves as a perfect example of what an illustrated novel can and should be.
Classic action-packed, monster-fighting fun (. (Graphic/horror hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-670-01661-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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