Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody

This is a laugh-out-loud funny and devilish send-up of Ludwig Bemelmans’s Madeline for little monsters everywhere. Frankenstein is the scariest of all the monsters in Miss Devel’s castle. He can frighten anything–animals, parents, even rocks. Until one night, Miss Devel wakes up and runs downstairs to find that Frankenstein has lost his head! Frankenstein by Rick Walton and illustrated by Nathan Hale is a delightful twist on a classic story that parents and kids can both enjoy together. This is the perfect funny picture book read for Halloween or the fall season. Praise for Frankenstein: “Anyone who loves Ludwig Bemelmans’s classic will be howling at the moon over this witty mash-up. It’s the latest in a growing crypt of hilariously wicked kids books that includes Michael Rex’s Goodnight Goon and Judy Sierra’s The House That Drac Built. . . . Striking [the] devilish balance between the original and the transformed version is what makes this book–and all good parodies–so enchanting.” -The Washington Post “In this parody, Walton and Hale twist and retell Bemelman’s classic story Madeline by using Frankenstein as their main character. The illustration on the book’s cover may look oddly familiar to Madeline and readers may notice the word play with the author’s name, Ludworst Bemonster, which is used as the pen name for the book. Those readers who like a bit of a monster-twist to a familiar story may find this parody hilarious.” -Children’s Literature “Walton twists the classic rhymes of the original with glee (‘In two crooked lines, they bonked their heads / pulled out their teeth / and wet their beds’) while Hale reenacts each scene with devilish mayhem.” -Booklist “The illustrations have traded sunny yellow for pumpkin orange backgrounds and make comically sly allusions to the original title.” -Kirkus Reviews “Fans of the original . . . will enjoy spotting the parallels in this creepy-cute Halloween substitute.” -Publishers Weekly “Children . . .will gobble this one up.” -School Library Journal