Ernst conjures an invitingly macabre milieu in this middle grade debut, the first in his Graveyard Elementary series. Ten-year-old Franklin Stein, son of the infamous FrankenStein, is a monster with a problem. Unlike his illustrious father, Franklin is far from frightening; in fact, he lost this year’s “most fearsome friend” contest to the snake haired Medula Pitts, much to his chagrin, a failure that carries some weight: his dad won the award when he was young. Franklin’s problem is his height—he’s too short to be scary. Couple that insecurity with a pestering little witch sister named Lily and a werewolf best friend, and, before he knows it, Franklin’s caught in the crosshairs of a dare that has disastrous consequences.

Middle grade readers will fall in love with Ernst’s cheeky humor and colorful characters. Lily—who keeps a six-foot-long spider named Ziggy as a pet—also has a zombie named Abby for a best friend, who, despite her reputation as an airhead, shows some serious smarts when it counts the most, and a gargoyle with a penchant for turning into stone at the smallest scare steals several the scenes. Throughout all the fun, Franklin learns to count on his friends to get out of a jam—and discovers some wishes may not be worth the effort. He insists on opening an eerie, pyramid shaped box that houses a powerful relic, in hopes that it will help him finally win that most scary contest, but inadvertently risks his sister’s life in the process.

Ernst keeps the fright factor age appropriate and the adventure unrelenting as Franklin and his cohort of misfits fight to survive, pitting them against some known enemies (like Voodoo and Chopper, who gravitate towards trouble and find it in spades) and some unexpected ones along the way. The teamwork is spot-on, and the chills, rather than scaring, will make even the most poker-faced reader chuckle.

Takeaway: Lighthearted chills and cheeky fun unite in this comical series starter.

Comparable Titles: Allan Woodrow’s Class Dismissed, David Walliams’s Gangsta Granny.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A