FICTION

The Little Shop of Monsters

by R.L. STINE
illus. by Marc Brown. 40p. Little, Brown. 2015. Tr $17. ISBN 9780316369831. LC 2013046319.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3—In Stine's first picture book, an unseen narrator provides a tour of a pet shop stocked full of monsters. The spooky travelogue is peppered with slightly sinister asides, such as "I hope they don't break the glass, jump out, and EAT you. (Would that spoil your day?)." Among the beasts eager to share your home is "Bubble-Belly Billy," a greedy-eyed, long-clawed snacker who is surrounded by bones and apple cores. "Yucky" and "Mucky" are phlegmy, green twins who like to stick together. With Venus Flytrap-like pinchers, "Squeezer" and "Teaser" pass the time by playing monster games. Brown's detailed mixed-media illustrations bring these crazy creatures, who gaze out directly at readers, to life.
VERDICT Frightfully funny. Children will scream for repeated visits to The Little Shop of Monsters.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Reviewed by until the clever twist at the end, which will have readers quickly turning the last page (“Phew! You just escaped!”). Stine’s direct-address text is pitched for delicious thrills and chills, while Brown’s cheery palette and over-the-top depictions of the monsters offset the terror just enough. martha v. parravano
, Sep 01, 2015

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