Olivia Wolf

Gr 2--5--For fans of werewolves, vampires, and ensemble casts, this first book in the "Olivia Wolf" series will suit. Young werewolf Olivia lives in Monstrocity with her friends and family, including a vampire and a fly. After being introduced to the ensemble, readers follow them to school where the cast has to work together to figure out what happened to their missing teacher, Mr. Swamp. The pacing is off; Mr. Swamp's disappearance gets sidelined until the end. But young readers will look past that and enjoy the funny characters, the school-based adventure, and the disgusting monster moments, including a gaseous being chasing them off the bus and a scene where they study the decomposition of the zombie teacher, who is a moldy sandwich come to life. VERDICT A monstrous, zany early reader graphic novel for readers who enjoy the new "Bailey School Kids" graphic novels, school stories with a twist, and "Monster High."--Aryssa Damron

Something strange is afoot in Monstrocity, where monsters and humans live together in harmony…for the most part. Classes are about to start at Monstrocity Academy. Professor Swamp, the first to arrive, has a horrifying encounter with an off-screen terror. The book's narrator explains: "It's best you don't see what happened to Professor Swamp. It's far too gruesome…." But it's a normal morning in the rest of Monstrocity. Olivia Wolf boards the bus for Monstrocity Academy. When a noxious gas beast attacks the city ("These things sometimes happen in Monstrocity"), the young werewolf and her vampire buddy leap into action to save the day. At school, after Olivia's teacher, a zombie, gives a lecture on mold and decomposition, the students learn that Fred the Fly's six-month-old cheese sandwich has gone missing. Could the missing professor and the sandwich be related? It turns out they are. Fred's sandwich, now a giant mold monster, threatens to overrun the city, so the students work together to put things right again. Translated from Spanish, this fast-paced graphic novel features colorful pages with one to four panels; text is minimal. Monstrocity's monsters are generally smiling and are lovable, relatable, and definitely not scary, and the imaginative dangers they face are slightly spooky, slightly gooey, and just plain fun. A list of character bios prefaces the work. A sweetly scary reminder that friends, even monsters, must look out for each other. (Graphic fiction. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.