The Tangled Web

Gr 3-6–The members of S.M.O.K.E. (Secret Monster Organization for Kids Everywhere) continue to investigate monsters and blog about their findings, so that other kids know what to do if they run into one. Charles, who is white, and Kevin, who is Black, have a reluctant expert ally in Margo Maloo, who is brown. Her investigation into underground monster society reveals the dangers of a human construction project that could harm and displace many monsters, especially a spider colony. The three main characters are spunky and adventurous, while Charles’s parents are trusting and supportive. A scene with Margo’s loving uncle provides some tantalizing, though cryptic, backstory about her Indian roots. Weing continues to take full advantage of the wide-page format, filling each one with exciting angles, brilliantly detailed highlights, and broad establishing shots that cluster the remaining panels alongside or beneath them.