What do you think?
Rate this book
The Frankenstein Journals
In this combination of two separately published works, J.D. discovers that he is the son of Frankenstein's monster, and armed with the Doctor's journal he sets out to find his "relatives"--the descendents and relations of the people whose body parts Doctor Frankenstein used.
154 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2014
5 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 30, 2016
Provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Such a delightful book this one was. I enjoyed J.D. and his hilarious journeys to find his "cousins" as he believed that the people whose parts had been used to make his father, the Frankenstein's Monster, were somehow related to him.
J.D.
I liked the witty and suspense storyline. The book was well-written and each scene made you want to know what would happen next. On top of that, the artworks were amazing. A great book for young readers.
May 14, 2015
The writing style is simple and I think definitely suited to a younger age group rather than adults like me but this was still a fun quick read.
One of the main things that made this refreshing for me were the illustrations. Timothy Banks’ illustrations adorn almost every page and really bring the story to life. From the tiny doodles that express the protagonist’s thoughts and opinions to the full page spreads of detailed images, Banks’ illustrations are colourful and add a lot to the novel.
Overall I liked the story but it is definitely more of a book for young children because it has the usual no-parents thing that a lot of children’s books have and also all of the adults are really irresponsible, as you would expect in a children’s adventure book. This book is set to be released 1st August and would be a great book to buy for the younger readers in your life around Halloween.
One of the main things that made this refreshing for me were the illustrations. Timothy Banks’ illustrations adorn almost every page and really bring the story to life. From the tiny doodles that express the protagonist’s thoughts and opinions to the full page spreads of detailed images, Banks’ illustrations are colourful and add a lot to the novel.
Overall I liked the story but it is definitely more of a book for young children because it has the usual no-parents thing that a lot of children’s books have and also all of the adults are really irresponsible, as you would expect in a children’s adventure book. This book is set to be released 1st August and would be a great book to buy for the younger readers in your life around Halloween.
August 13, 2023
The Frankenstein Journals: Feet First & I for an Eye
about the book-
“In this combination of two separately published works, J.D. discovers that he is the son of Frankenstein’s monster, and armed with the Doctor’s journal he sets out to find his “relatives”—the descendants and relations of the people whose body parts Doctor Frankenstein used.”
J.D. has lived at Mr. Shelley’s orphanage for Lost and Neglected Children since he was an infant and Mr. Shelley found him in a box. Now, at age 14, J.D.—short for John Doe—is on his own, and the orphanage is closed. J.D. is trying to find his family. His one lead is a book left in the box when he was an infant. It is a journal and in it is a picture of J.D. as an infant being held by his father—Frankenstein! J.D. had always dreamt he was part of a large family. Using the journal entries J.D. is trying to track down his family, but so his someone else.
Feet First begins J.D.’s journey from orphan to the family finder. J.D. meets Fran, the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein. Deranged like her father, Fran thinks of nothing else but making herself an improved monster, but nothing has worked. She now wants to use the same DNA dad used which has her on the trail of the same people J. D. is looking for, but J.D. is trying to connect as family. The first is explorer Robert Percy, currently at the end of the world.
I for an Eye: Fran kenstein is still trying to find the relatives of those people her father used to make Frankenstein, J.D.’s father. J.D. is trying to get to his cousins first, to warn them of the danger called Fran. Now in Los Angeles, J.D. is looking for the grandson of Samuel “Clew” Hammer, a private detective in 1940. Hammer’s green eye became Frankenstein’s left eye. Before J.D. could get very far Fran shows up, gets J.D. thrown into jail, and leaves to go after all his cousins in L.A.
About the author-
Scott Sonneborn has written? more than 20 books, one circus (for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey), and a bunch of TV shows. He? 's been nominated for? one Emmy and spent three very cool years working at DC Comics. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons.; Timothy Banks is an award-winning illustrator known for his ability to create magically quirky illustrations for kids and adults. He began drawing very early and soon found that he loved creating pictures for his family and friends. His work has been described as edgy, whimsical, and fun, but he likes to think of his art as his favorite thing in the world. Timothy creates his illustrations by using his computer, a drawing tablet, and lots of imagination fueled by an overactive imagination (and sometimes ice cream). He has received honors and awards for his work from 3x3 Magazine, Creative Quarterly, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, and PLAY! Illustration. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art & Design, and he also teaches fledgling art students in his spare time. Timothy lives in sunny Charleston, SC with his wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters, and two crazy pugs. They enjoy playing in their backyard and watching alligators swim by their house. You can see more of Timothy? 's work on his website, timothybanks.com.
Review-
J.D.’s journey will take a few books so it’s a good thing The Frankenstein Journals is a new series. If you liked Hotdogger, you’d like The Frankenstein Journals. J.D. tells the story as it happens and scenes rush by. Even this two-story edition was a breeze. Reluctant readers will like this. The action is fast, the story has only what is needed. There are no slow sections that might bog a reader.
Frankenstein’s son looks a lot like his father, with odd-shaped hands and feet, and two colors for his eyes, but he is a determined kid, fighting against time and Fran who is anxious to find the same people and lure them back for her experiment. There are illustrations throughout the book, some an entire page, some in color. The hand-printed font, in various sizes, shapes, and colors, usually expresses an unexpected emotion caused by new information about J. D’s family. The book is visually appealing.
The only thing I do not like is the spaces between paragraphs as if written on the Internet. This series is a chapter book series for young readers. This is not the time to forget about proper writing, especially when there is no benefit to having these paragraphs spaced incorrectly. At least the paragraphs are indented.
I think boys will like The Frankenstein Journals because of the fast action, a male slant on the stories, thus far, and the crazy illustrations and graphics. The female presence in the story is evil, just as boys this age probably see their female classmates. In a twist, Fran has no interest in J.D., but he instantly falls for Fran, misreading all of her words and actions, just like a lovesick girl would. J.D. no longer has a crush on Fran, having figured out her evil plan. Maybe girls age 7 to 12 age are evil, not just yucky
Girls might also like the story of J.D. reclaiming his family. The main character is a sweet young boy searching the ends of the earth, literally—trying to find an unknown number of relatives before evil Fran finds them and makes a new Frankenstein out of them. If you like stories with twists and turns and the occasional body part, The Frankenstein Journals would be a great series to start reading. Pre-order today for the August release date.
about the book-
“In this combination of two separately published works, J.D. discovers that he is the son of Frankenstein’s monster, and armed with the Doctor’s journal he sets out to find his “relatives”—the descendants and relations of the people whose body parts Doctor Frankenstein used.”
J.D. has lived at Mr. Shelley’s orphanage for Lost and Neglected Children since he was an infant and Mr. Shelley found him in a box. Now, at age 14, J.D.—short for John Doe—is on his own, and the orphanage is closed. J.D. is trying to find his family. His one lead is a book left in the box when he was an infant. It is a journal and in it is a picture of J.D. as an infant being held by his father—Frankenstein! J.D. had always dreamt he was part of a large family. Using the journal entries J.D. is trying to track down his family, but so his someone else.
Feet First begins J.D.’s journey from orphan to the family finder. J.D. meets Fran, the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein. Deranged like her father, Fran thinks of nothing else but making herself an improved monster, but nothing has worked. She now wants to use the same DNA dad used which has her on the trail of the same people J. D. is looking for, but J.D. is trying to connect as family. The first is explorer Robert Percy, currently at the end of the world.
I for an Eye: Fran kenstein is still trying to find the relatives of those people her father used to make Frankenstein, J.D.’s father. J.D. is trying to get to his cousins first, to warn them of the danger called Fran. Now in Los Angeles, J.D. is looking for the grandson of Samuel “Clew” Hammer, a private detective in 1940. Hammer’s green eye became Frankenstein’s left eye. Before J.D. could get very far Fran shows up, gets J.D. thrown into jail, and leaves to go after all his cousins in L.A.
About the author-
Scott Sonneborn has written? more than 20 books, one circus (for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey), and a bunch of TV shows. He? 's been nominated for? one Emmy and spent three very cool years working at DC Comics. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two sons.; Timothy Banks is an award-winning illustrator known for his ability to create magically quirky illustrations for kids and adults. He began drawing very early and soon found that he loved creating pictures for his family and friends. His work has been described as edgy, whimsical, and fun, but he likes to think of his art as his favorite thing in the world. Timothy creates his illustrations by using his computer, a drawing tablet, and lots of imagination fueled by an overactive imagination (and sometimes ice cream). He has received honors and awards for his work from 3x3 Magazine, Creative Quarterly, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, and PLAY! Illustration. He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art & Design, and he also teaches fledgling art students in his spare time. Timothy lives in sunny Charleston, SC with his wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters, and two crazy pugs. They enjoy playing in their backyard and watching alligators swim by their house. You can see more of Timothy? 's work on his website, timothybanks.com.
Review-
J.D.’s journey will take a few books so it’s a good thing The Frankenstein Journals is a new series. If you liked Hotdogger, you’d like The Frankenstein Journals. J.D. tells the story as it happens and scenes rush by. Even this two-story edition was a breeze. Reluctant readers will like this. The action is fast, the story has only what is needed. There are no slow sections that might bog a reader.
Frankenstein’s son looks a lot like his father, with odd-shaped hands and feet, and two colors for his eyes, but he is a determined kid, fighting against time and Fran who is anxious to find the same people and lure them back for her experiment. There are illustrations throughout the book, some an entire page, some in color. The hand-printed font, in various sizes, shapes, and colors, usually expresses an unexpected emotion caused by new information about J. D’s family. The book is visually appealing.
The only thing I do not like is the spaces between paragraphs as if written on the Internet. This series is a chapter book series for young readers. This is not the time to forget about proper writing, especially when there is no benefit to having these paragraphs spaced incorrectly. At least the paragraphs are indented.
I think boys will like The Frankenstein Journals because of the fast action, a male slant on the stories, thus far, and the crazy illustrations and graphics. The female presence in the story is evil, just as boys this age probably see their female classmates. In a twist, Fran has no interest in J.D., but he instantly falls for Fran, misreading all of her words and actions, just like a lovesick girl would. J.D. no longer has a crush on Fran, having figured out her evil plan. Maybe girls age 7 to 12 age are evil, not just yucky
Girls might also like the story of J.D. reclaiming his family. The main character is a sweet young boy searching the ends of the earth, literally—trying to find an unknown number of relatives before evil Fran finds them and makes a new Frankenstein out of them. If you like stories with twists and turns and the occasional body part, The Frankenstein Journals would be a great series to start reading. Pre-order today for the August release date.
August 26, 2016
Funny, Charming and Cheerfully Inane
It's a great concept - an orphan yearns to have a great big family. Then, he learns he is the son of the Frankenstein monster. Well, Frankenstein was made up from parts of lots of different people, so it follows that the descendants of those people would all be sort of like our orphan's cousins. Right? He heads off to find Dr. Frankenstein, but finds the doctor's daughter, who is trying to hide her lineage and is now known as Fran Kenstein. She's smart, spirited and cute and seems to be totally into helping our orphan find his lost "family", (SPOILER: but she wants to find them first so that she can build a new, better monster). The race is on and so off we go.
The book is written as the orphan's diary/journal so it has an intimate confessional feeling and is presented completely in the orphan's voice. That's great because this kid is hopelessly optimistic, naive, (he's 14 and has never been out of the orphanage), impervious to sarcasm, and earnest in a deadpan but engaging way. The author slips in loads of jokes, quips, sly references and understated humorous bits. The dialogue is sharp and clever and the plot screams along. The book is irony free and meanness is absent; this is rollicking, cheerful humor.
Since we're running around trying to find descendants of the original contributors of Frankenstein's parts you can imagine how silly and/or outrageous the plotting and action is. Think along the lines of an old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon.
The upshot is that this book will work for and appeal to a wide range of readers. Any reader will get at least some of the fun, and the older the reader the more rewarding the humor. (How old do you have to be to get the joke when one of the monster's eyes was taken from a private detective?) The book's slightly manic feel is enhanced by drawings, sketches and marginalia that have a clean, bright feel and help keep the book light and zippy.
This volume ends in mid-search and there are still lots of body parts to go, so even if two main story arcs wrap up in this book, it's obviously set up for multiple sequels, which is O.K. by me.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
It's a great concept - an orphan yearns to have a great big family. Then, he learns he is the son of the Frankenstein monster. Well, Frankenstein was made up from parts of lots of different people, so it follows that the descendants of those people would all be sort of like our orphan's cousins. Right? He heads off to find Dr. Frankenstein, but finds the doctor's daughter, who is trying to hide her lineage and is now known as Fran Kenstein. She's smart, spirited and cute and seems to be totally into helping our orphan find his lost "family", (SPOILER: but she wants to find them first so that she can build a new, better monster). The race is on and so off we go.
The book is written as the orphan's diary/journal so it has an intimate confessional feeling and is presented completely in the orphan's voice. That's great because this kid is hopelessly optimistic, naive, (he's 14 and has never been out of the orphanage), impervious to sarcasm, and earnest in a deadpan but engaging way. The author slips in loads of jokes, quips, sly references and understated humorous bits. The dialogue is sharp and clever and the plot screams along. The book is irony free and meanness is absent; this is rollicking, cheerful humor.
Since we're running around trying to find descendants of the original contributors of Frankenstein's parts you can imagine how silly and/or outrageous the plotting and action is. Think along the lines of an old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon.
The upshot is that this book will work for and appeal to a wide range of readers. Any reader will get at least some of the fun, and the older the reader the more rewarding the humor. (How old do you have to be to get the joke when one of the monster's eyes was taken from a private detective?) The book's slightly manic feel is enhanced by drawings, sketches and marginalia that have a clean, bright feel and help keep the book light and zippy.
This volume ends in mid-search and there are still lots of body parts to go, so even if two main story arcs wrap up in this book, it's obviously set up for multiple sequels, which is O.K. by me.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
August 11, 2016
This book is actually two books, The Frankenstein Journals: Feet First and The Frankenstein Journals: I for an Eye, combined into one volume. However, it's not an entire series collection, as the story does not conclude in this volume and, based on the premise, there should be at least a few more stories to come.
I'm generally a big fan of collecting multiple books in a series into one volume, as it makes it easy to follow the story from start to finish. But, in this case, I don't think the combining was executed that well and, except for the cost savings of buying one book instead of two, I actually think the separate books would be better.
The two books have been joined together in what appears to be an attempt at a seamless story: no table of contents denotes the separation of the two books and the chapter numbering is continuous, instead of starting over for the second book. But all the summarizing of the story thus far that's common in later books in a series is still present in the second half of this volume, "I for an Eye." It's quite jarring to be halfway through a book, just starting chapter 10, only to come upon a "Let me remind you" section that reiterates everything you just read in the first nine chapters.
Other than the combination issues, though, this is a cute "thriller" of sorts for young readers, replete with colorful illustrations. Fans of monsters, mysteries, and orphan stories should enjoy The Frankenstein Journals.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.
I'm generally a big fan of collecting multiple books in a series into one volume, as it makes it easy to follow the story from start to finish. But, in this case, I don't think the combining was executed that well and, except for the cost savings of buying one book instead of two, I actually think the separate books would be better.
The two books have been joined together in what appears to be an attempt at a seamless story: no table of contents denotes the separation of the two books and the chapter numbering is continuous, instead of starting over for the second book. But all the summarizing of the story thus far that's common in later books in a series is still present in the second half of this volume, "I for an Eye." It's quite jarring to be halfway through a book, just starting chapter 10, only to come upon a "Let me remind you" section that reiterates everything you just read in the first nine chapters.
Other than the combination issues, though, this is a cute "thriller" of sorts for young readers, replete with colorful illustrations. Fans of monsters, mysteries, and orphan stories should enjoy The Frankenstein Journals.
Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.
April 3, 2014
Full review at http://thebookshelfgargoyle.wordpress... (July 30th 2014)
I received a digital copy of this title for review from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Son of Frankenstein's monster embarks on a quest to reunite his recycled body parts with their genetic relatives. Daughter of Frankenstein embarks on a quest to use genetic relatives to recreate her dad's original monster. Cue Zany Adventure!
While this doesn’t quite match up to the slick presentation and original premise of the Origami Yoda series, for instance, The Frankenstein Journals has a charm all its own and will nicely fill a gap for readers at the lower end of the middle grade age bracket.
The plot is simple and flows from scene to scene with very little to slow the action. J.D., the main character, is so perfectly friendly and positive that you can’t help but hope for the best for his quest across continents to seek out his long lost family members.
What really added to the overall appeal of the book for me was the eye-poppingly colourful illustrations that appear throughout the story. They absolutely bring J.D.’s story to life and will no doubt be very much appreciated by younger readers. They also give the book the feel of a real journal, rather than your average chapter book.
I'd be very interested to see the next books in the series and follow J.D. on his adventures.
Recommended.
I received a digital copy of this title for review from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Son of Frankenstein's monster embarks on a quest to reunite his recycled body parts with their genetic relatives. Daughter of Frankenstein embarks on a quest to use genetic relatives to recreate her dad's original monster. Cue Zany Adventure!
While this doesn’t quite match up to the slick presentation and original premise of the Origami Yoda series, for instance, The Frankenstein Journals has a charm all its own and will nicely fill a gap for readers at the lower end of the middle grade age bracket.
The plot is simple and flows from scene to scene with very little to slow the action. J.D., the main character, is so perfectly friendly and positive that you can’t help but hope for the best for his quest across continents to seek out his long lost family members.
What really added to the overall appeal of the book for me was the eye-poppingly colourful illustrations that appear throughout the story. They absolutely bring J.D.’s story to life and will no doubt be very much appreciated by younger readers. They also give the book the feel of a real journal, rather than your average chapter book.
I'd be very interested to see the next books in the series and follow J.D. on his adventures.
Recommended.
April 5, 2014
The Frankenstein Journals
by Scott Sonneborn, Timothy Banks (Illustrations)
4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 4 ratings · 3 reviews
In this combination of two separately published works, J.D. discovers that he is the son of Frankenstein's monster, and armed with the Doctor's journal he sets out to find his "relatives"--the descendents and relations of the people whose body parts Doctor Frankenstein used.
Hardcover
Expected publication: July 1st 2014 by Frankenstein Journals
My thoughts....
I loved this heart touching children's read. Our your J.D. Has grown up an orphan and sets out to find his other parts ( literally the body parts that went into making his father Frankenstein's monster). If he is the son of Frankenstein's monster 14 year old J.D. reasons out that his cousins (only relatives) are the children of the original Frankenstein's part donors.
J.D. Goes on humorous adventures to discover his relatives while learning about himself along the way. This is a very sweet and heart touching read that I acquired for free via the publisher for review. The illustrations add so much whimsy and fun to the story.
My 8 year old son loved it. Nothing like following along the son of Frankenstein's monster to get a good laugh and plenty of adventure. I recommend this book very much. One of the best illustrated I have seen in a while.
December 22, 2014
Young J. D. has an epic quest ahead of him. He has recently discovered that his father was Frankenstein's Monster. He has grown up an orphan and is really feeling the need for a family. To accomplish this, J. D. makes use of Dr. Frankenstein's journals to track down his "cousins". At least he thinks they are cousins. He is looking for the descendants of the bodies that the mad creator took parts from to create J. D.'s father. In the first book, J. D. travels to Antarctica in search of the connection to his feet. In the second book he ends up in Los Angeles looking for the relation to his eye. Oh yeah, and every step of the way is a girl with her own agenda. The girl, known as Fran Kenstein, has her own reasons for tracking down those same relatives of the original body parts. Is this book ridiculous? Yes! Is it a fun adventure? Yes! Kids 3rd grade and up should get a kick out of J. D.'s world-wide adventures in pursuit of random body part descendants.
April 4, 2014
Imagine finding out that you are the son of Frankenstein's Monster when you are 14 years old. That is just what happens to J.D., John Doe, in The Frankenstein Journals by Scott Sonneborn. When the orphanage (and not a very good one) that J.D. was raised is closing, he discovers his birth father in Frenkenstein's monster which explains his odd appearance. J.D. then sets out to track down and meet his "family" from which the various body parts were "donated." Along the way he travels to Antarctica and Los Angeles and meets several great characters, including the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein who is out to make her own monster. I can only assume that the adventure is just beginning and can't wait to read more of J.D.'s journal. My 5th graders are going to love this book!
Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley.
Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley.
Read
April 19, 2015I truly enjoyed the concept of this book and the illustrations by Timothy Banks are absolutely inspired. this set is a two books in one FEET FIRST and I FOR AN EYE. However, I wasn't aware that it was 2 separate books and had to figure it out for myself. The first chapter of the second book is labeled as "10" instead of "1" was the first issue. Secondly, the "recap" references to the first book (that I just read) and then advises the reader to "just go back and read it earlier in the book." It's like the publisher didn't want to invest in an editor. It is disorienting - an I am an adult. Also - as time plods on - kids will have no idea who Dora the Explorer is. Therefore, developing a character on whom Dora was based is neither wise nor innately creative. Loved the concept. The execution could have used from better support by the publisher.
February 26, 2015
This is a new series that will grab many students, especially those who never want to pick up a book to read. The books are funny with just the right number of clever illustrations, easy to read font & size, and a premise that will grab any kid third grade up. I see this so far as Origami Yoda for the younger group and as a school librarian I can't wait to share it with the students. The sad part: I only have two copies!
September 6, 2015
J.D. is the son of Frankenstein's monster; Fran is the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein. They both are in search of the body part donors that were used for the monster. J.D. wants to find them so he can finally have a family. Fran wants to recreate her father's experiment. A droll plot-driven novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy humorous science fiction.
April 18, 2015
this is a really fun book. it had me giggling from the very beginning. I can't wait to read the continuation of this book. The only thing I would have liked more is more of the interactions with Fran.
May 19, 2015
The story has a rollicking premise and absolutely charming/gross-out-funny illustrations. Dastardly baddies delight. Fans of Captain Underpants and Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features will get a kick out of this series.
September 6, 2015
Interesting premise falls flat as the son of Frankenstein's monster searches for relatives of the folks who contributed to his father's creation. Colorful format is engaging but the story is thin, with an awkward transition in chapter 10, obvious that the book was originally 2 separate stories.
August 26, 2016
Hilarious and heartwarming, who could resist this tale of an "orphaned" boy, whose parentage is, well, Monstrous?
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews