Boy or Beast

July 30, 2012
The onset of puberty is bad enough under most circumstances, but when one’s bodily changes include scaly green skin,
a tail, flippers, and gills, that’s just cruel. Such is the lot of 12-year-old Charles Drinkwater, who permanently transforms into an amphibious creature during science class one October morning, thanks to “mutant dinosaur” genes in his DNA that his parents neglected to tell him about, not wanting to upset him. “Can you tell me why Grampa Wallabird married a mutant dinosaur,” Charlie asks them during a heart-to-heart about his family history, “or will that upset me too much?” Rather than spell social doom, however, Charlie’s transformation actually increases the former outcast’s popularity; this, in turn, endangers his relationship with his unrepentantly geeky two best friends and attracts even more attention from a bullying classmate. Actor/director Balaban (the McGrowl series) laces his story with film references—particularly horror classics—using a dry sense of humor (amplified by Rash’s spot-art cartoons) and the supportive presence of Charlie’s parents and his Bela Lugosi–style science teacher to deliver an endearingly quirky story about embracing oneself. Ages 10–up.

August 1, 2012
Charles is 12, unpopular, bullied, small and geeky--and to make matters worse, he's turning into a giant reptile. Charles relates, with wit and pathos, his Kafka-esque metamorphosis from angst-ridden pubescent to dinosaur. As his skin turns green and a tail sprouts, Charles is utterly dismayed, "Forget about being popular. At this point I would happily settle for human." His two best friends, Lucille and Sam, also outcasts, seem rather thrilled at Charles' change. He grapples with the difficulties of being a huge reptile, finding clothing and sitting at a desk problematic. Bizarrely, though, not only can he still talk, he still has his own voice. At school, despite continued bullying from his nemesis, Craig, Charles begins to enjoy celebrity status, and Amy, the most popular girl in the school, starts fussing over him. Charles gets utterly swept up in this new sensation and in so doing loses perspective on where his loyalties lie. When he's challenged to betray his best friends, Charles faces the monster inside himself. With occasional comic drawings and lots of humor regarding life as a dinosaur among humans (such as the scale of reptile farts), this romp is a balm for anyone who's ever felt awkward in their own scales err, skin. Charles' first-person narration reveals an anthropologist's eye for the social strata of middle school. A wacky story of loyalty and self-discovery. (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Many teens go through awkward physical changes in adolescence, but 12-year-old Charlie's changes are extreme: during science class he transforms into an eight-foot-tall mutant dinosaur. His family isn't surprised, though. Unbeknownst to Charlie, his grandmother was one, too. His oversize status has its pros and cons. His two best friends, Sam and Lucille, remain loyal. The Banditos, the cool kids' clique, suddenly want him in. The downside: bully and Bandito member Craig will do anything to keep him out, and Charlie's athletic older brother resents not being the star of the family. But now that Charlie doesn't look human, he's forced to contemplate how he feels as a human-and realizes he's spent too much time worrying about what other people think of him. When offered a chance to join the Banditos by betraying Sam and Lucille, he wavers, and then stands up for himself in an emotionally satisfying conclusion. Readers will relate to his evolution from insecure nerd to confident dino, aided by solid supporting characters in Charlie's parents and a caring science teacher. Balaban has a keen eye for both middle-school angst and the quiet moments that define Charlie's loving family. Rash's bold, full-page illustrations are spare but provide additional laughs. A funny, contemporary allegory about learning to like yourself, scales and all.-M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.