Monster School

K-Gr 2—Norm is nervous on his first day at monster school because he is not like everyone else: he is simply a "regular kid." His headless principal, Cyclops-like teacher, and monstrous classmates are welcoming, but Norm has trouble connecting with anyone. He meets Harry, a werewolf; Hilda, a witch; Gary, a ghost; a girl with two heads, and a boy with innumerable eyeballs. The newcomer feels out of place until he gets every word right on his spelling test. His classmates call him strange and weird, until Hilda points out that Norm is unique, just like the monsters. Finally, he feels he may be happy at Monster School after all. Keane offers friendly depictions of the characters in muted colors, along with the right size and amount of text on each page. The theme of individuality and acceptance comes through, and transitioning independent readers will be drawn to the large font and silly illustrations.—Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa