Frank the Monster (Frank the Monster #1)

Strandberg (The Home, for adults) presents a fresh take on a classic monster mythos in this timeless-feeling series starter. “Practically no one came” to Frank’s ninth birthday party, except for family, his beloved elderly neighbor Alice, and Alice’s dog, Woof. When Frank offers Woof a slice of cake—and the excited pooch inadvertently nips Frank’s hand—the youth thinks nothing of the incident. A few days later, though, Frank begins experiencing strange happenings, such as waking up in the forest, alone and covered in dirt. A research trip to the library helps Frank realize that he’s turning into a “werewoof.” Though he simply wants someone to “pat me, scratch my stomach, rub behind my ears,” Frank—who’s terrified of the dark and the creatures that could lurk inside it—struggles to reconcile the fact that he’s become a creature many consider monstrous, and worries that his neighbors might be afraid of him. Fast-paced first-person prose details Frank’s confusion and stress as he reckons with his new reality as well as his terror at being mistaken for a monster and his desperation to be understood. Falkenhem’s intermittent b&w spot illustrations, accented with dusty blues, depict key moments that shed light on Frank’s shifting emotional state as he and those around him learn to embrace and value one another’s differences. Human characters are shown with various complexions. Ages 6–10. (Apr.)