Monster School: The Spooky Sleepover

by Dave Keane

Norm is just plain normal until he finds himself in a new school where all his classmates are monsters! When his school hosts a sleepover, Norm is nervous that he'll be too scared to fall asleep. But it's not the monsters that he's scared of--it's sleeping away from home!

Join Norm in this wacky, easy-to-read I Can Read story about learning to fit in. Reluctant readers, boy readers, girl readers, monster readers--any beginning readers--will enjoy the wonderfully silly story and the fun illustrations.

This is a level two I Can Read! book geared for kids who read on their own but still need a little help.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

After spending so much time reading books to my three kids, I decided I'd try my hand at children's books. It's been a blast. I've visited schools all over the country. I've talked to thousands of kids about writing, illustrating, and using your imagination. And I've received tons of incredible letters and emails from parents, kids and teachers from just about everywhere.

I am the author of the Joe Sherlock: Kid Detective series and the Monster School: I Can Read series. My picture books include Sloppy Joe, Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain and Daddy Adventure Day. Next year, Knopf/Random House is releasing my new picture book, Who Wants a Tortoise?, illustrated by K. G. Campbell. Stay up on it all at my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/mrdavekeane

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Norm appears to be the only normal kid at monster school. He is feeling nervous about his class sleepover in the library (ultimately because he misses his cat, nightlight, a his mum humming him to sleep). His friends magic him a temporary cat, the ghost glows all night, and his cyclops teacher hums to him (probably a better choice than the zombie librarian)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norm is a normal boy... ha, just put that together... anyway, he's a normal boy who goes to school with a bunch of monster kids and a cyclops teacher. His class wins a spooky sleepover in the library. Clever.

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little one adored this book. She loves Halloween and anything having to do with sleepovers, so this was the perfect combination. Cute story and even more disgustingly cute characters.

[Lucca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dd liked this book because she’s excited about having a sleepover. I liked how the character was relatable with feelings that a little person could have but he worked through it.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aarón dice: Norm es un tonto porque si yo fuera a la escuela con monstruos les pediría que me enseñaran a hacer cosas geniales

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gather that the premise of these books is that Norm is a "normal" boy in a school populated by various monsters. In this book, his class has won a sleepover in the school library. Each of the characters is developed a little by showing how they get ready for bed. Norm is scared. Eventually, his classmates help him feel better so that he can fall asleep.

This would be an okay book but for a couple of things. First, one of his classmates appears to be a set of dicephalic parapagus twins. Unfortunately, she's depicted simply as a singular monster with two heads. (I wish the book had stuck with obviously fictional creatures like zombies and vampires.) Second, Norm is pretty judgmental. Actually, so is the book. It states that Norm is "normal", when he's clearly not; normality is relative, and at his school, he's clearly the freak. But that's not all. One of Norm's classmates, Gill, snores through his gills. Norm states, "That is just gross." Then, his reaction to one of his other classmates clipping his claws is, "That is a little rude." He's also muttering under his breath throughout the book things like, "Of course it is a spooky story," and "It is a scary movie, of course," which seem like passive-aggressive putdowns of the things his classmates like. By the time they all get into their sleeping bags, Norm can't sleep because he's a whiny little baby (he wants his night-light, his cat, and his mommy humming him a song). His classmates--and teacher--step in to provide him with what he needs, even though he's done little throughout the book to try to accept or learn from his classmates' own traditions and preferences. The book ends with Norm thinking about how scary things can be made a bit less scary by having good friends around... and so he kind of comes across as a spoiled little twit.

The illustrations don't really excite me. They're too simple and cartoonish. Kids might get a kick out of some of the wacky characters, though.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this one. There was a good opportunity for a discussion about overcoming your fears and trying new things, but it was ignored in favour of letting the whiny protagonist stay in his comfort zone and not learn a thing. (Imagine changing the setting to an international school where one student complains about the others' food, mocks their appearances, sneers at their rituals, and then gets rewarded by having everyone cater to his preferences. Somehow, I don't think that would go over very well.)

[Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norm is the only normal person at Monster School, a place where all the students are creatures -- and the staff members are, too. When Norm attends a class sleepover, he's wary of being away from home, afraid of the creepy bedtime story, and terrified of the dark. But with the help of the monsters in his class, maybe he can learn how to be brave for one night.

This is a quick, amusing read with some humorous details and a comforting ending. While Norm is pretty judgmental in places, many children will sympathize with his nervousness. It would make a nice addition to a regular library or classroom collection, or to a set of leveled readers.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this early reader is much more successful than the first Monster School outing. Better word control, easier to read, but still fun. I think the word play will be accessible to new readers and funny. Good interplay between words & pictures.

"'Oh no! Gill fell asleep already!'" cried Frankie (a little Frankenstein).
Gill snored through his gills.
'That is just gross," Norm said."

"Harry turned hairy. He ate two whole cheese pizzas.
He ate the boxes, too. 'He will have bad dreams,' Norm said."

Too simple? Perhaps. But I think new readers will really like this.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute ending about how nice it is to have good friends!

[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.