Monster High

Gr 7 Up—Welcome to Monster High! It's a place where movie monsters' descendants attend high school right along with the "normies," though they have no clue. Things are going just fine until the Steins decide to build themselves a 15-year-old daughter named Frankie. Supremely self-confident, Frankie upsets the school's delicate balance by trying to convince the other "monsters" to come out of hiding. As a sighting of Frankie in all her natural glory hits the national news, monster paranoia strikes. As the "normies" start monster hunting, it is up to Frankie, her boyfriend (a descendant of Dr. Jekyll), and his other girlfriend (a normie named Melody) to make things right. Rebecca Soler does an excellent job of distinguishing voices in this novel (Hachette/Poppy, 2010) by Lisi Harrison. Music and a few sound effects are used intermittently, adding a little flair. Monster High is scheduled to be released as a movie musical by Universal Studios in 2011/12. A fun listening experience that offers much food for thought.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT