Fabulous and Freaky: "Monster High" Book Series

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Joy Fleishhacker October 19, 2011

With famously fiendish pedigrees, distinctly developed personalities, and hip attire, these teens are the perfect blend of creep and chic. Introduced by Mattel in July 2010, the Monster High brand of fashion dolls features a lineup of scary-cool teenage characters based on monster movies, horror fiction, and mythology. From Frankie Stein to Draculaura to Deuce Gorgon, each individual is either the offspring of or related to such eerie icons as Frankenstein, Dracula, and Medusa, and comes readymade with his or her own unique look, backstory, and "freaky flaw." In addition to the dolls and their accoutrement, this transmedia franchise also incorporates an array of related merchandise, including plushie toys, electronics, apparel, accessories, and Halloween costumes. Kids can visit the official website to walk the virtual halls of "Monster High" and meet the students (via characters bios), play games and try out activities, and view an animated webisode series centered on the ups and downs of high school life-all portrayed with a "creeparrific" flair. There's also a dedicated YouTube channel and a wiki that's packed with images, information, and the latest news. A "Ghoul Box" app is already available, and the "Monster High Ghoul Spirit" video game for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii hits shelves later this month.

Book Tie-ins

Little, Brown/Poppy has launched a tie-in young adult book series written by Lisi Harrison, author of the teen-popular "Clique" and "Alphas" titles (both Poppy). Though closely related to the dolls and their universe, the books create their own take on the characters and their fictional world. Monster High (2010; Gr 6-9), the first volume, establishes the setting: Merston High, a school in Salem, OR, peopled for the most part not by monsters, but by typical human teens. Created in a laboratory by her loving parents only 15 days ago, Frankie Stein has been loaded up with the intelligence and capabilities of an average 15-year-old. With a passion for pop culture and a wicked fashion sense, she can't wait to tackle 10th grade. However, given Salem's long-held fear of monsters (many of whom have lived incognito for years in the community), her parents insist that she go camouflaged as a "normie," with her mint-green skin covered by makeup and her bolts and seams concealed. At school, Frankie meets new student Melody Carver, who firmly believes that people should not be judged by their appearances, as well as a slew of monster teens who also keep their special attributes under wraps. Though Frankie tries to keep her true essence hidden, her high-voltage personality is difficult to tamp down, and her secret may not remain secret for long... particularly after a wow of a kiss at a school dance causes her to lose her head-literally.

The fast-paced narrative zings with snappy dialogue, celebrity and pop-culture references, and funny one-liners. Harrison creates a light tone while also touching upon the common concerns of high school life: friendships, social dilemmas, and, of course, monster crushes. Themes such as self-acceptance, the importance of tolerance, remaining true to one's self, and finding the courage to bring about change are smoothly incorporated into the storytelling. The adventures continue in The Ghoul Next Door and Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way (both 2011), which focus on mummy Cleo de Nile and werewolf Clawdeen Wolf respectively, with a fourth installment scheduled for release in spring 2012.

From Doll to Page

Erin Stein, senior executive editor at Little, Brown Young Readers and editor of the series, reveals how the book project came about: "Mattel started with the doll designs and then realized the story was so strong that it could be much more than just a new doll line. They went out to publishers looking for a real partner—and we immediately fell in love with the dolls, the detailed fashions, the fresh humor, and the chance to share the idea of celebrating your 'freaky flaws.' Mattel wanted to find someone who would work with them to expand this new world and really tell the story of the characters. We immediately saw potential for a really fun and fresh YA series."

Though the main characters and their personalities were already established, Stein explains that Mattel encouraged creativity within the brand: "When you have an amazing author like Lisi Harrison onboard, you let her do her thing! Mattel was happy to do that, and gave Lisi a lot of creative freedom to create the story for this series. I think the result functions as a prequel story arc that explains the creation of Monster High—this amazing place where you can be yourself and not hide your differences. Lisi felt strongly that we needed to see the 'monsters' first through a regular human girl's eyes, and I think she was right. Mattel recognized the importance of that for older readers, and allowed Lisi to create a brand new character, Melody Carver."

The book series stands on its own, but close ties are maintained with the rest of the franchise. According to Stein, "there are some minor variations [in the books] and that's because we want to serve the older readers and stay true to Lisi's voice... but I think they do fit in with the rest of Mattel's story. We do talk to Mattel about what's happening in the webisodes and who the new characters are... you will see them popping up as secondary characters in the books. We think that's really fun for fans to see. When we 'found' the lost chapter for book one [accessible on the wiki], it was all about Ghoulia, who had become a fan favorite online." The publisher works closely with Mattel to keep the characters consistent, and to cross promote the book series, which has been publicized on doll boxes and packages and linked to on the websites.

The cover for the first book, featuring the familiar Monster High skull-with-pink-bow image elegantly embossed on a black faux leather background, will certainly catch the eye of franchise enthusiasts. The second and third volumes are each adorned by a comparable illustration, cleverly adapted to highlight each novel's main character (a serpent headdress for Cleo and a werewolf-shaped dog tag for Clawdeen). Stein explains: "The covers are something I felt very strongly about from day one. They had to be iconic, they had to be cool, and they had to be bold. We wanted each book to look like this fabulous object that you just had to pick up and look at. Mattel's logo and branding colors are so cool already; we just tweaked that by bringing it into a realistic treatment, which in a way is what we did with the story. The bejeweled Skullette on the first cover was actually inspired by a pair of Monster High jeans created for girls that had the rhinestones on the pocket."

Stein believes that the Monster High franchise offers "a huge" crossover appeal, "Both from girls on the younger side who fall in love with the dolls and grow into the books and also from fans of Lisi's who have faithfully followed her books and found a new home with Monster High and the dolls. We're also seeing a brand new fan base... girls [who] are identifying with the characters and enjoying having a larger interactive world with which to get to know them better." Certainly, the novels' coming-of-age themes will resonate with their target audience. According to Stein, "as Lisi has said, teen monsters are just teens with different colored skin. They go through the same struggles such as fitting in, and being true to yourself. As with all her books there are also strong themes of friendship and identity."

Publication Information

HARRISON, Lisi. Monster High. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09918-9; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-316-17621-7; ebook. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-316-12683-0; Audio book CD (Hatchett Audio). $24.98. ISBN 9781607886358.

_____. Monster High 2: The Ghoul Next Door. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09911-0; ebook. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-18042-9.

_____. Monster High 3: Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09919-6; ebook. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19162-3.

Ea vol: Little, Brown/Poppy.

This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.

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