The disappearance of White Pine Beach

For 11-year-old Otto, moving with his mother to Monsterton--an island off the coast of Oregon--is both a nightmare and a dream. Monsterton boasts scary yet fantastical items, creatures, and mysteries, including boney dry winger sandwiches, ghost classmates, and missing sirens. It's a paradise for monsters--but Otto and his mother are human. Otto does his best to fit in with his new paranormal pals, befriending zombie Luck, "Frankensteinian funnyman" Hamish, and slime monster Darby. When Hamish claims to have ventured into the ominous nearby Belcarra forest and found the illusive White Pine Beach, a mythological shore located deep inside the woods, Otto and company are doubtful. Nevertheless, the gang follows Hamish into Belcarra in search of said beach. Upon their arrival, Darby falls into the water and vanishes, sending the friends on a quest to find her, all the while unearthing the treacherous secrets of the wilderness. McKechnie capably balances the characters' humorous antics with steadily rising stakes while Estrada's animated illustrations expertly utilize light and shadow to deepen the atmosphere of this promising series opener, a dual debut. Otto reads as white; monster characters are described as having varying skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 8--12. (Aug.)

Monsters and humans find common ground in order to save their friends from dark forces on a magical island. Born in a snowstorm in California on the same day his father tragically died, 11-year-old Otto Normal leads a life that's always seemed destined to be anything but normal. Otto and his mom, Cherry, were just scraping by until a mysterious man came to the diner where Cherry was a waitress, offering her a job as a newspaper reporter on the island of Monsterton. Much to Otto's shock, she accepted, and the two packed up their meager belongings and set sail from the Oregon coast. But upon their arrival, Otto and Cherry quickly realize that they're outsiders in Monsterton: They seem to be the only humans and are surrounded by vampires, zombies, ghosts, and other creatures. Otto, who never had any human friends, goes to school determined to fit in. A trip to detention leads to an invitation to join a motley crew of classmates on an adventure to find the possibly mythical White Pine Beach, which jumps around within the foreboding Belcarra forest. The story unfolds through multiple viewpoints, and readers may become overwhelmed by the complicated worldbuilding and by plot intricacies that aren't always sufficiently explained. But the rich illustrations amp up the delightful eeriness with deeply saturated colors and a playfully rendered cast of ragtag characters who will leave readers eager for the next installment. Otto appears white. Wonderfully weird. (Paranormal. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.