Frankenstein: Junior Classics for Young Readers

by Bethany Snyder (Adapter), Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Secretly in an attic lab, a medical student creates what no man has created before. A living, breathing, giant man. It's a scientific discovery like no other. It's an electrifying, brilliant achievement. But it is a monster. A monster that will torment his creator, Dr. Frankenstein, until his dying day.

Genres: Classics

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Trevor Bouma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ok. I thought it was a little scary and sad. Frankenstein builds a person out of body parts and brings it to life. But instead of being happy, the creature is super lonely because everyone is scared of him. I felt bad for the monster because he just wanted friends, but he was also kind of creepy how he looked and what he did to people. It wasn’t really his fault, though, because Dr. Frankenstein didn’t take care of him. Some parts were interesting but I didn't like it very much because it was mostly dark and sad.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who is your favorite character and why? Victor because he never gave up when he made a mistake.
What surprised you most? How Victor did not die.
What was your favorite part? When Frankenstein jumps off cliffs when he needs to go.
Would you change the ending? Why/why not? No, because Frankenstein stopped hurting

[QSTCMomma · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s not at all what I thought it was. Maybe reading the Jr Classic edition I missed something, but the story didn’t hold my interest and there seemed to be several plot holes I couldn’t quick clear up.

As for a thriller - maybe the full version is frightening - this one not remotely!

[Karen Koenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read - not challenging enough for TAG students!

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia read on her own and rated it 3.5 stars.

[Jennifer Messmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. I liked the simplicity of the story (since this is a young reader’s version). I feel like I can now read the normal classic and understand everything better.

[Logan]

good

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having written a review of Mary Shelley's classic last year or so, I will refrain from actually commenting on the story here. Rather I will limit my words here to a few comments regarding this adaptation for younger readers. Frankenstein is a dark book and it is difficult to retain the essential plot elements in a book such as this while making it appropriate for "junior readers." This was a work that my son enjoyed reading with me, but probably the most violent and disturbing tale that we've ever read together (though some of the Harry Potter books were approaching this level). I think that given the storyline, the adapter did a good job retaining the essentials while also bringing this novel down to a younger reader's level as much as possible.

The work bore many similarities to the last two books that we read together (each in different ways): White Fang and an adaptation of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, dealing with things such as the ability to conquer nature and what comprises "good" and "evil." As was the case when we finished Jekyll & Hyde we had a fairly long conversation about some of the philosophical themes found in the story and about the narrative structure of the work. And as he is currently studying Greek mythology in school, we also had a discussion about the story of Frankenstein and the related myth of Prometheus. The story was very engrossing for my son (he was eager to read more of it each day), but while he enjoyed the pace of the novel, he prefers the tidy, happier conclusions found in books written specifically for children (e.g., the works of Roald Dahl, L. Frank Baum or J.K. Rowling).

[Nick Papagalis]

dope

[Jonathan W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the book a lot because I like reading horror/thriller. I really want to know what would have happened if the monster got a wife. Would she be evil and curse her creator like Frankenstein's monster or be good and thank her creator. Would she want a child/ could she be controlled by Frankenstein's monster. I'm kinda shocked by the way the Old Man's son reacted to seeing him with his dad in the cottage.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Mary Shelley's classic tale of Frankenstein adapted for a younder audience.