What's It All About?
Charlie Laird can't catch a break. When his mom passed away his dad married, Charlotte, whom he is 99.9999% sure is a witch. They had to move to HER house, this weird purple mansion. Worst of all, he can't sleep for fear of running into a nightmare that won't go away.
What'd I Think?
Jason, baby, honey, what are you doing?! I had such high hopes for this novel when I heard you were behind it. Your screenwriting has been brilliant thus far and your acting never leaves me wanting. not to say I thought the book terrible. There were definitely some good comical parts but overall it felt like it was a plot that was stretched too thin and would have been better had it not been made to drag on.I do think kids will enjoy the silly bits and jokes that have been thrown in but won't be overly frightened of the monsters within.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars!
What'd They Think?
Booklist
(September 15, 2014; 9780375991578)
When Charlie Laird's mom died, he
was, of course, devastated, and he's devastated all over again when his dad
marries Charlotte, the kooky herbalist with unruly red hair. After they all
move to Charlotte's family home a spooky, purple mansion Charlie begins having
terrible nightmares starring a cauldron-stirring, red-haired witch, and he
starts believing that his stepmom is not who she seems. While investigating her
workroom in the tower of the house, he stumbles through a portal into the
Netherworld, a creepy, fractured version of his own town that's populated with
elements from kids' nightmares, including bunnies with toothy jaws for faces
and a fedora-wearing gorgon. There he discovers who's really behind his bad
dreams as well as some secrets about not only Charlotte but also his own
mother. Segel (of The Muppets movie) and Miller build an entertaining, cartoony
world full of scary (but not too scary) monsters, silly jokes, plucky kid
heroes, and a cinematic plot that trundles onward to a satisfying conclusion,
with a promise of adventures to come. Final illustrations not seen.--Hunter,
Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist
School Library Journal
(September 01, 2014; 9780385744256)
Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Charlie
Laird is absolutely convinced that his stepmother Charlotte is a witch. She
dresses funny, serves seriously strange food (kale pancakes), and runs a store
called Hazel's Herbarium. Charlie's dad, little brother, and friends all like
Charlotte and think Charlie's still grieving for his mom. He's also suffering
from terrible nightmares, and living in Charlotte's crazy purple mansion isn't
helping. The evil witch who stars in those nightmares threatens to follow the
protagonist into the real world and kidnap his brother. Instead, he is tricked
into the Nightmare World, peopled with monsters and madness: gorgons, goblins,
crazy clowns, scary bunnies, tests filled with gibberish, and the monomaniacal
President Fear (who also inhabits the real world as the truly terrifying
Principal Stearns). But all is not what it seems, and some of the scariest
creatures turn out to be sympathetic-or even allies. There are lessons to be
learned about facing fears and uncovering the real enemy in this tale. Pals
Alfie, Rocco, and Paige are interesting and fairly three-dimensional; most of
the adults (with the exceptions of Fear/Stearns and Charlotte) are merely
background. The fear is as much psychological as anything, and there's humor
and a fairly high ick-factor, but relatively little violence. A good choice for
elementary-aged scare-seekers.- Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c)
Copyright 2014.
What Do I Do With It?
Students will create their own monster. They must give it a name, powers/scare tactics, as well as other valuable information about it should be mentioned. Their imagination is key here. They will then put the monster on a "wanted" poster to display in the hallway.
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