Illustrations – Maïté Schmitt
Frankie isn’t like the other monsters in Monsterweld. They enjoy showing off the weird things their bodies can do, like Violet the Skeleton and her musical rib cage, but Frankie needs to be careful he doesn’t accidentally undo the stitches and bolts that hold his body together.
Frankie’s home, Frankenstein Castle, sets him apart even more because … ‘humans used to live there.’ Sure, humans are creepy but Frankenstein Castle has secret tunnels so it’s definitely my kind of creepy.
Frankie really wants a friend, but not Spooky Suki. He does have standards. So he comes up with an ingenious plan; he’ll make his own friend. Sounds easy enough.
Fido might be human but it quickly becomes apparent that Frankie has indeed created a monster.
Rachel Delahaye has reimagined a classic in a fun, imaginative way that will make you wonder why you didn’t think of it. The focus is on friendship but there’s some accidental learning in there as well.
I always look forward to finding out how Rachel is going to play with words to make me smile. One of my favourites in this book was discovering that Monster Radio plays rhythm and boos.
Maïté Schmitt’s illustrations are detailed and just the right amount of quirky. The characters are expressive and there’s just so much to find in the backgrounds. I absolutely adored the Jaws poster.
I really liked Frankie and wanted him to find a friend. It was Suki who stole my heart, though. She was independent, smart and merrily did her own thing instead of trying to blend in with the crowd. I need another story set in Monsterweld that has her centre stage. I’m also keen to watch Frankie’s mother at work. She’s definitely got some stories to tell.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
A charming twist on a classic gothic tale, a classic villain is turned into the good guy in this story that explores modern themes and issues.
‘But there wasn’t any harm in making one human…’
Frankie is fed up of his nasty monster classmates and bored of being lonely in freaky Frankenstein Castle. What he needs is a friend. But since monsters are mean and werewolves are scary, Frankie decides to make his own friend – a human!
But with a mind of his own, this new friend might make Frankie realise why humans were banned from Monsterweld in the first place…
Schizanthus Nerd 