Wonkenstein

Gr 4—6—Rob Burnside is as average as a 12-year-old can be. His only claim to fame is that he is distantly related to the person who invented sideburns. His mother is always coaxing him to read, but all the books she buys for him end up in a jumble in his closet, which also doubles as his "laboratory." The sameness of Rob's life skids to a halt when someone inexplicable bursts from his lab one day. At first Rob has no idea who this little guy is, but then a trip to the library determines that he is a bizarre mash-up of Willy Wonka and Frankenstein. Rob must go to great-and often embarrassing-lengths to conceal "Wonkenstein," because he'll be in huge trouble if his parents find out what a mess his closet is. Written in a journal/comic format from the perspective of an underachieving narrator, this book owes an obvious debt to Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (Abrams). The drawings don't pack a big comedic punch, but the writing is quite funny and has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. And while the format and the protagonist might not be inventive, the idea of a hybrid Willy Wonka/Frankenstein character is original and hilarious. This book will be a hit with kids who can't get enough of the Wimpy Kid.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY