Frankenstein Takes the Cake

Starred review from July 14, 2008
With maniacal glee, Rex (Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
) delivers spot-on rhymes about B-movie monsters, loosely organized around the nuptials of Frankenstein and his bride. An oil painting of the wedding cake is as creamy as a Wayne Thiebaud confection, and an author bio in haiku silences quibblers: “He knows Frankenstein's/ the doctor, not the monster/ Enough already.” In a digital comics sequence, Frankenstein's mother-in-law frets over her daughter's resurrection and engagement (“I'm an open-minded person.... but I never thought my little girl would marry someone green. There, I said it”); later, the Bride questions her betrothed but decides, “I'm not getting any less dead.” Rex's ideal audience may be pop-culture buffs: he spoofs Peanuts
with a vampiric Charlie Brown; plans the Frankensteins' reception menu around monsters' food allergies (no garlic for Dracula); sets up the Headless Horseman's photo blog on the tribulations of having a pumpkin head; and creates a running gag about “The Raven,” where a sarcastic bird mocks Edgar Allan Poe. Rex's eclectic imagery and freewheeling verse will have readers going back for seconds. Ages 5–10.

L.J. Ganser squeezes every bit of fun out of Rex's amusing poems and wordplay as he creates entertaining voices for Frankenstein and his many friends. This poetry collection is loosely clustered around Frankenstein's impending wedding and the catering questions it raises: You can't serve garlic if Dracula's coming, and silverware is off-putting to werewolves. There are also pieces about Edgar Allan Poe's writer's block and a work titled "Off the Top of My Head: The Official Blog of the Headless Horseman." The poetry reflects Rex's offbeat humor, which is as likely to please adults as it will kids. All listeners will appreciate Ganser's dramatic abilities, whether he's bringing to life tensions between Frankenstein's bride and her mother-in-law, or the challenge of feeding monsters with eclectic dietary needs. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine