By David LubarIllustrated by Marcos Calo
Available now from Starscape (Macmillan)
Review copy
Read my review of Extremities
THE WAVERING WEREWOLF is the latest book in David Lubar's Monsterrific Tales series. I haven't read the previous books, but the premise is simple. In each book a kid is accidentally turned into a monster and must choose whether to remain a monster or turn back into a human. The star of THE WAVERING WEREWOLF is Norman, a geeky kid who gets bitten while wandering in the woods.
Those who are familiar with Lubar's books know to expect humor. My biggest laughs came from Norman's strategy to get people to ignore him: start going into detail about random facts. Don't expect too much complexity, however. This series is aimed at the Bailey School Kids crowd. It kind of reminded me of some of the old Goosebumps books, although the writing was better. I can see this series and the Lovecraft Middle School books appealing to the same kids.
If you've got a young reader in your life who likes monsters, THE WAVERING WEREWOLF is a good choice. It plays with some classic tropes in a way that's kid friendly but not patronizing. I'm definitely going to pass this one on to my niece. (She's reading! On her own! It is so cool.)
This sounds like a fun series: thanks for bringing it to my attention. I want to ask if the kids always make the same decision at the end, but I also don't want to know and normally loathe spoilers...yet, I'm still curious!
ReplyDeleteWell, you can read them to find out!
DeleteSounds cute! That's great your niece is reading on her own. YAY!
ReplyDeleteIt is great!
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