The Frankenstein Journals

Gr 4–7—Many 14-year-old boys feel awkward, but J. D. suffers more than most. His eyes are different colors, one leg is longer than the other, and his feet are huge and different sizes. He's also an orphan. It makes a crazy kind of sense when the orphanage tells him his real father is Frankenstein's monster and gives him Victor Frankenstein's original journal. J. D. sets out to find the nearest thing he has to a family: relatives of the people whose body parts were used to create his father. Standing in his way is the legendary doctor's pretty but evil daughter Fran Kenstein, who schemes to find the relatives first and use them to build her own monster. The rapid-fire plot wastes no time, whisking J. D. around the globe from Antarctica to California in search of family from whom he inherited various body parts. Sonneborn cleverly links the body parts with strengths J. D. didn't realize he had (a detective's eye, an explorer's feet) and gives characters names that sharp readers will recognize (Mr. Shelley, detective Sam Hammer). Colorful, full-page illustrations and J. D.'s witty doodles add strong visual appeal. There are 18 chapters, but the work is clearly divided into two separate narratives. The ninth chapter reaches a climax that sets up the hero's next adventure, which should begin right away, but instead, the following chapter unnecessarily recaps the events of the first half; it's odd, but readers will likely overlook it. Will J. D. find more cousins and his famous monster father in the next book? Only his nose—or his ear, hand or arm—knows. Readers who love monsters, mildly gross humor, and action-packed silliness will want to join him on his quest.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY