Valensteins

K-Gr 2—This delightful follow-up to Long's Fright Club gives readers a glimpse into the heart of Fran (Frankenstein). When his friends catch him making a valentine, at first they can't figure out what he is doing. Vlad and the others' interpretations of what the pink heart represents are quite funny. Vlad thinks that the heart is a pair of fangs, the witch thinks it's a bat, the mummy thinks it's a nose, and the ghost thinks it's a paper butt. Bunny is the only one who recognizes the heart for what it is, and when she announces it to the others, shock and horror ensue. A hilarious discussion of what exactly love is and how it is expressed occurs. Bunny explains that a kiss on the lips is the ultimate expression of love. Vlad and the others, except Fran, decry the yuckiness of it all. Fran leaves once he can no longer take the ridiculous behavior of his friends and meets up with the source of all the fuss. Then he remembers what love really is. With perfect insight into a child's view of romance, this humorous book will undoubtedly resonate with young and old.