Monster Academy
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Where do monsters go to school? Monster Academy! And anything can happen when your teacher is Miss Mummy. It's not like any other school, but if you're a little monster, you'll fit right in!Come along with Principal Frank N. Stein into a bright, energetic classroom where the class pet is a big purple boa constrictor, recess is in a swamp, and class bats help build a Creepy Castle in the Monster Maker's Lab. When Tornado Jo, a new student, roars into class, a storm is brewing. Who could ever guess that her new best friend will be a vampire, and she'll help him find his missing fang? Award-winning writer Jane Yolen teams up with her daughter, Heidi, to present colorful monster children who have familiar human issues such as making friends and learning to help others. In a final twist, Tornado Jo -- the worst behaved student -- is revealed to be an out-of-control human, not a monster after all. Oh, no! Monsters are more afraid of humans than we are of them! Everybody runs! Laugh-aloud humor is enhanced by John McKinley's highly imaginative illustrations loaded with fun and hidden jokes tucked into the art. An irresistible romp from start to finish!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The mother-daughter authors (You Nest Here with Me) introduce a class of monsters taught by a mummy cursed to speak only in verse. Mayhem erupts with the arrival of a new classmate, Tornado Jo, a fuzzy, round being that has a one-word vocabulary: "No!" The lesson of the day is counting lost teeth, and a young vampire is dismayed that he still has both of his fangs, a dilemma that continues as Tornado Jo upends the classroom. The story's underlying message of accepting and embracing differences surfaces when Jo is revealed to be a much-feared human in costume " I get it!' says Vic. We're scary, but so is she!' " McKinley (the Ready, Freddy! series) doesn't stint on goofy details: there's a frog-like female with hissing snakes for hair; a bulbous, polka-dotted creature with corkscrew horns; and a boy whose face is dominated by a single oversized eye. Though riotous pictures provide chuckles, the narrative's alternating verse and prose makes for a rocky rhythm, and the jumbled story ultimately feels clunky. Ages 4 8.
