Hide and Shriek!

January 1, 2011

Gr 2-3-These tales of young monsters are quick, easy-to-read graphic novels with familiar plots (a game of hide-and-seek, the new kid in school). Talbot the werewolf fusses over his hair. Vlad the vampire tends to be a little bossy. Frankie Frankenstein solves problems by bashing through them, and Claude, the Invisible Boy, frets over a pimple before realizing that nobody's going to notice. Layouts are rectilinear and clearly sequential, with widely spaced word balloons that make the dialogue easy to track. Panel art resembles stills from a video game, and although this makes for occasionally distorted-looking limbs, it contributes a cinematic feel to the books. Oddly, even though one character is supposed to be Japanese and two are green-skinned, all the monster children have Caucasian features and hair. Discussion questions and other back matter support classroom use.-Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

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