Eowulf: Of Monsters & Middle School

Eowulf #1

by Mike Cavallaro

Eowulf Wegmund just had the most amazing summer ever. She travelled to a magical supply shop, rescued unicorn soldiers from a pocket dimension and fought an evil god. Pretty cool stuff, even if you are descended from the legendary monster hunter Beowulf!Now Eowulf finds herself back home, where the only monsters are the ones in her Dungeons & Dragons game, and the weirdest creature around is her classmate Amadeus Hornburg – and he’s just an angry little kid that nobody likes. But when a mysterious supervillain returns to wreak havoc on their quiet town, Eowulf and Amadeus must join forces to unearth a dark past that wants to stay buried . . .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

224 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

Mike Cavallaro is from New Jersey and has worked in comics and animation since the early 1990s. He's made work for most of the major comic book publishers, and has been a designer, background painter, and storyboard artist on numerous animated series for Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and MTV Animation. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and is a member of the National Cartoonists Society.

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eowulf and her sword Roger have come back from their adventures with Nico Bravo and friends super excited for more adventuring, but even a direct descendant of Beowulf has to face normality and things like school. Eowulf may be chomping at the bit for adventure, but she'll settle for a quest. She's learned through her most recent adventure that not all "monsters" are actually evil or even mean, just misunderstood. Could the same be said for the kid in her class everyone calls a monster, Amadeus Hornburg? Eowulf has decided that she will befriend Amadeus. Meanwhile, someone is up to something in town because real monsters start to break into the normality.

This book starts off a bit rough. Eowulf has changed, she's struggling to fit back into her normal life, she can just tell that her parents are keeping secrets from her and that brings some conflict into their relationship, but she's also keeping secrets from them and her friends. Eventually, there's a great message to the story as a whole community realizes how lies and hiding the truth can hurt relationships, and there's also a great message that violence is not the answer to anger and can't heal the hurt behind it. There's a lot of positive personal growth in many people and steps toward healing relationships, including Eowulf and her parents. So it was a rough road and I can't condone all Eowulf's actions in the first part of the book, but I really liked the conclusion. The end of the book promises that Nico's friends at the celestial shop are going to hire Eowulf part time so I'm looking forward to future adventures (and you can really consider this 3.5 or 4 in the Nico Bravo series).

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are a couple monster/superhero or superhero/supervillain battles, usually the monster is scared off and people are fun. But during one battle a person was accidentally killed (not gorily) in the past which was the catalyst for all the secrets and anger and hurt going on.
Ethnic diversity: Eowulf and her parents have friends who are of African, Indian, East Asian, and European descent.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Child lying to parents and disobeying them. This is addressed and positive changes are put into works. One person acts out to distance themselves from others. Unaddressed grief and anger are behind the problems, but once they come out in the open they are addressed and positive measures are taken.

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

Excellent concept and good execution. Plot moves a bit slowly and gets bogged down in too much text (for the genre) and not enough creative use of the illustrations. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[Sara Tiede · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Passionate Beowulf and Beowulf-adaptation lover, this was bound to be a good fit for me, and it was. Nice illustrations, very quick pacing, and the right amount of exposition to cover the previous books that introduced Eowulf. Had it been one of the first adaptations I'd read, it definitely would have rated higher. But it did everything very well, just not enough to top some of my absolute favorites. For a much more realistic and emotionally based graphic novel using DnD roll play as a framing devise, I loved Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag, a favorite trilogy using the trope of children of monster hunters learning that not all mosters are evil is Giants Beware, Dragons Beware and Monsters Beware by Jorge Aguirre, and a truly amazing modern graphic take for kids on the original Beowulf myth is the fantastic Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith. This was a great book, but for anyone who loves it, it's also just the beginning, and a great starting point for even more amazing graphic kids lit!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eowolf is back in the real world, playing D&D with her besties and getting ready to start school. First day back her friends are just watching as the school freak gets bullied at the bus stop. Deciding that her new hero status puts her in a place to help rather than hurt, she befriends him and tries to help. This leads her on an unexpected adventure in the real world, full of monsters and legendary heroes and... her Dad?

There was a lot going on in this book... a LOT. I think that the intended audience would love all the action, the artwork, and the fun objects of power. There was plenty to keep them going with a lot of new things to see. As an adult that appreciates balanced story lines this one didn't really make sense to me. It was very face value good versus evil with everyone hating on this poor kid with no reason, including Eowolf before she had this grand awakening.

Again, kids would appreciate the book, which is what really counts.

[Tim Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE! Dungeons and Dragons meets superheroes meets Scooby Doo meets mythology meets middle schoool! This book is a love letter to all of us nerds! Imagine if, while playing D and D with your friends, that they’d never suspect that you were also a real-life monster hunter… descended from none other than Beowulf! So much imaginaiotn and wonderfully illustrated. There are many sudden twists as the mystery unfolds. Moral lessons of not being too quick to judge who the real “monsters” are, the importance of being honest and facing your inner demons, good and evil are not so easy to define, looking at things in a new perspective, the importance of family and friends, and how to be a true-life hero and knowing that sometimes, those who most need our help just don’t know how to ask for it. I will be adding this into my high school social studies lesson on reimaging fairytales and folklore for a modern audience! What a great resoure for Language Arts classes as well - that we can take ownership of beloved stories, reimagine them, and make them our own. Love it!

[Sarah Colbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Monsters and Middle School is the first book in the Eowulf Series.

As a descendant of the legendary hero Beowulf, Eowulf finds herself back home in New Jersey where the only monsters she gets to fight are part of her D&D games...unless you count Amadeus Hornberg-the kid everyone loves to hate. When Eowulf decides that she's going to befriend Amadeus, things start to go south pretty quickly. Even her parents want her to stay away from her new friend but no one will explain why he's such a bad apple.

When actual monsters start showing up in her neighborhood, she and Amadeus will have to join forces to find out who the real villain is.

This was a super fun fantasy story with D&D elements and an exciting adventure story that students will really enjoy. The illustrations are fun, colorful, and have great detail. Cavallaro's story is a great look at friendship, grief, and how the decisions grown-ups make can have unintended consequences for their children.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle school is hard enough to navigate, but Eowulf has a family secret that she keeps even from her best friends in middle school with whom she plays Dungeons and Dragons. She is a descendent, many times removed, of Beowulf, and she trains with her father to fight monsters. When Eowulf decides to befriend the friendless Amodeus, the dynamic between her and her friends changes, though, and Eowulf discovers that her family and others in town had even more secrets than she could have imagined. In the end, a cohort of friends proves necessary to correct misguided thinking and change certain doom by reimagining how a story could end. I loved the story with its many voices and twists. The author knew how to nuance the story, with both compression of history and expansion of action and the art both supported the story and stood to tell the story in some places. I can't wait to read the next installment of Eowulf's adventures.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of the book.
This graphic novel's title drew me in, figuring it had something to do with Beowulf. That was definitely the case.
Eowulf learned early in her life that not all "monsters" are monsters. This knowledge helps her grow as a "normal" adolescent girl.
This story is probably good for 4th grade+, but there was one small event that if the reader thinks about it, could be a pretty mature topic (most will probably just gloss over it without thinking).
I haven't read the other graphic novels from this author, but if I had, I'd probably understand the ending a little more.

[Ellon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars (It was okay)

I didn't realize this was a Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades spin off until the end. I wasn't a huge fan of that series so I don;'t really remember much from it.

I found Eowulf super wordy. I didn't love the whole soap opera twist and I didn't really think the way that her friends interacted with her was realistic. Just not a book for me.

[Christine LaBatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eowulf is descended from Beowulf and comes from a line of monster hunters. When she decides to befriend the outcast at school, her parents aren’t happy because it turns out he is the son of their former nemesis.

This one was a fun read! There were some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting and I thought the art was cute. I definitely think this would be a fun read for kids.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The illustrations are bright and eye catching perfect for reluctant readers. The story itself is jam packed with monsters, fight scenes and the friendship woes that come with school.
We follow Eowulf as she learns some home truths about her family and herself and sets out to change them. Fans of Percy Jackson, D&D and Amari and the night brothers will enjoy this.

[Kelly]

So I started this one yesterday, but I was very confused by what was happening. There may or may not be real monsters, there's some D&D talk, and there's befriending the kid everyone bullies. I didn't get the whole monster fighting part - are they real, are they virtual monsters, are they in our universe or some other one? It was kinda interesting, but mostly I DNF'ed it out of confusion.

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the idea was fun, it was just WAY too much and WAY too chaotic. I had to backtrack at times just to keep track of it all. And bye the end I just have more headaches than I had before. It started off quite nice and then it was just like a truck unloaded all the haul in one go.
The art was good though.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars = I loved it! Would re-read.

While I know this is a spin-off from another series, I really clicked with this book and these characters more than the original. I hope there will be more stories with Eowulf and her friends. I loved this - the artwork, the characters, the story, the fantasy elements. Highly recommend!

[Emrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and exciting story. Love the artstyle and the tempo of the story. The story flowed well and I liked how E choose to understand and get to the bottom of the story behind Amadeus.

Can recommend for those who like a good story about adventure, friendships and a mystery to be solved.

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute GN with an unstoppable female protagonist and her rag tag group of “super hero” family and friends. Loved the illustrations and the accompanying DnD story embedded into the story.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eowulf, descendant of (wait for it) Beowulf, teams with her fellow D&D players to defeat powerful monsters.

[D E X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Jami Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story with a little mythology mixed in. The illustrations were good, and the story was easy to follow.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Same awesome vibes as Nico Bravo (rightfully so since it's a spinoff). I'm annoyed at myself for taking so long to read this one.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like the recurring theme of what makes a hero or a monster? Eowulf I feel would be a brave heroine for even trying to befriend Amadeus in the first place.

[Dermo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well plotted and great artwork

[Jeni Enjaian]

Read as part of FaceOff Weekend, part of the Amazing Readathon. No review written for the 20+ books read over the 48 hours.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art has a really nice style to it and that matches the tone of the story, which goes in some interesting directions and sets up well for a series.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool graphic novel. Beowulf’s descendent + D&D + heroes and villains! I think my class will love this! AND I think there’s more to come?!

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half well enough, but then it just becomes too much, action for the sake of action, too many artifacts and superpower, too many characters...

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Suezette Given · Rating 2 out of 5]

was open to a fun adaptation but it feels too much like a super complicated video game

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't realize it was a spinoff at first, but holds up solo.