Monster Club (The Monster Club #1)

A 12-year-old's monster doodles come to life and terrorize his Brooklyn neighborhood in a quirky novel by collaborators Aronofsky and Handel (Noah). With his parents bickering more than ever over the fate of his father's Coney Island amusement park, King's Wonderland, Eric "Doodles" King is counting on Monster Club, a neighborhood group dedicated to developing the "coolest, smartest monster battle game of all time," to distract him. But as the club crumbles following a blowout with one of its members, who claims the group has outgrown the game, Doodles scrambles for a way to keep them together. As Doodles contends with tense relationships and literal monsters, flashbacks detailing a surrealist 1940s Coney Island and Doodles's great-great-grand-father fleeing a pogrom in Kyiv feature throughout. Disjointed pacing, a tone that unevenly vacillates between somber and silly, and thinly rendered characters impede what is an otherwise boisterous read. Classic tropes such as monsters coming to life and friends on the outs banding together to defeat a larger evil permeate this action-packed series opener, a savory match for fans of Doodleville. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

Gr 3-6--Eric has spent hours perfecting drawings of Brickman, a very special monster who can shoot cement out of one arm and swing a wrecking ball with the other. Using various board game strategies, Eric and his friends in Monster Club battle their monster drawings against each other, vying for dominance and bragging rights. This takes place on paper until Eric comes across some very special (and very smelly) ink passed down from his great-great-grandfather, which causes the monsters to pop off the page as real, three-dimensional, ready-to-rumble beasties. Eric is thrilled--until his nemesis at school draws some out-of-control monsters of his own, leading to a wild battle and chase culminating in a showdown at Coney Island. The biggest challenge of this novel is simply how many different plot points are included: flashbacks to a great-great-grandfather's experiences in the early 20th century, mythical creatures, modern monsters, both obvious and secret villains, friendships, falling outs, the difficulties of outgrowing childhood pleasures, burgeoning romance, parents who may be divorcing, parents who may be losing their business, bullying at school, and the iconic elements of Coney Island. All these combine to create a fast-paced and exciting yet cluttered, thrill ride. While this first entry may have been more successful having eliminated some of those elements, all of these pieces do provide numerous potential plot lines for future entries in the series. Engaging illustrations provide additional interest; characters are depicted with a range of skin tones. VERDICT Electrifying adventures and a clever twist will leave readers anticipating the next volume in this new, jam-packed adventure series.--Alyssa Annico

"It's like my kid-brain exploded on the page. This is exactly the kind of book I would have loved when I was growing up." — Sadie Sink, star of Stranger Things

Full of wonder, adventure, heart and humor, Monster Club took me to world a lot like this one but very different and original. — Logan Lerman, star of the Percy Jackson films

"Darren and Ari show that their mastery of storytelling and world creation can extend equally brilliantly to the page. Monster Club is that rare and powerful mix of utter fantasy, humor, realism, and relevancy for these ever-changing times." — Oliver Jeffers, creator of the NYT #1 bestseller Here We Are