FICTION

Frankenstein's Fright Before Christmas

by Rick WALTON
illus. by Nathan Hale. 40p. Feiwel & Friends. Oct. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780312553678.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Frankenstein and his little monster friends are taking on Christmas in this follow-up to the Madeline-inspired Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody (2012). Walton and Hale again combine their talents, taking on the rhyme scheme, rhythm, and plot of "The Night Before Christmas." "The monsters' bad manners had taken their toll./They'd lost their heads! They were out of control!" Miss Devel soon hears a clatter and who should appear at the castle door with a "CRASH" than little Frankenstein bearing a motley-decorated tree. Soon, Saint Nick arrives calling out to his reindeer, "On Whoozit, on Whatzit, and all of you others" and more chaos ensues. The watercolor digital illustrations in greens and red are a perfect match for this monstrously fun Christmas offering.—Diane Olivo-Posner, Los Angeles Public Library
[=Story by]Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody spoofed Madeline; here the same team adds Clement Moore's classic into the mix. Eleven of the first book's twelve little monsters are "out of control"...and headless. But Frankenstein has an in with Santa's Head Elf (get it? Head Elf?), and Santa delivers just what everyone needs. Hale's green-tinted illustrations with red accents gleefully extend the irreverent rhyming text.
The team behind Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody -- a spoof of Madeline starring Frankenstein's monster -- here adds Clement Moore's classic into the mix. Eleven of the twelve little monsters from the first book are "out of control." And headless. But Christmas miracles do happen -- even for badly behaved monsters and for "poor Miss Devel." Frankenstein has an in with Santa's Head Elf (get it? Head Elf?), and Santa delivers just what the monsters need. Hale's green-tinted illustrations with seasonal red accents (plus four full-color spreads) extend the irreverent rhyming text with glee. kitty flynn
Reviewed by Diane Olivo-Posner , Oct 01, 2014

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