Beast Ballerz

Beast Ballerz #1

by Wesley King, Steve Wolfhard (Illustrator)

Basketball meets monsters in this first book in a hilarious middle-grade series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Wesley King!

When eleven-year-old Baxter Brooks wakes up one morning with a sweet beard, he's pumped. How many fifth graders get to sport cheek mittens in math class? It's pretty much the greatest day of his life. 

What he first assumes is insta-puberty, escalates . . . rapidly. He grows fangs, people scream, he almost gives a cat a heart attack . . . it's a total mess. When Bax gives his whole school a were-scare during a play, he's shuttled off to an academy for misfit monsters . . . and into the zany world of beast ball. But if Bax wants to lead the long-suffering Pugs to triumph and solve the mystery of the Extremely Inconvenient Phantom, he'll have to learn to embrace his hairy werewolf alter ego. Yes . . . even the ankle scarves. 

Welcome to Prodigium Academy, where Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Hotel Transylvania in this middle-grade series featuring ludicrous artwork, loads of humor and a monster-sized heart.

Genres: Middle Grade

320 pages, Hardcover

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

The author of fourteen novels so far, Canadian author Wesley King has received over twenty literary awards and seen his books published worldwide, optioned for film and television, and translated into numerous languages. King is best known for his collaboration with Kobe Bryant on the #1 New York Times Bestselling Wizenard Series, as well as the Edgar Award-winning OCDaniel, which was also a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and Silver Birch winner. His adult debut, Wolf Season, will be released in 2026.

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid MG novel with a great self-deprecating narrator, some funny world-building (monsters are afraid of dogs!) and a charming plot about the power of teamwork and believing in yourself. However, the internal illustrations are weak; the artist is obviously used to working in colour and the black and white renderings look amateurish and unfinished to my eye. A great recommendation for basketball aficionados or fans of supernatural humour.

Many thanks to Tundra Books who sent me a final published copy for review.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won in a giveaway

Lighthearted with an emotional core. I enjoyed the narrative voice, though bro and bruh felt overused; it's a drinking game, guys. Get your Capri Sun ready.

lowkey, I think Nico got off a little easy. he was awfully mean.

[Bobi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But we have the power of weirdness" -Beast Ballerz, page 221.

Thank you to LibraryThing and Tundra Book Group for this ARC copy.

This is a cute middle grade/upper elementary paranormal sports mystery. We follow Bax, an 11-year-old who finds out he's a werewolf. He's off to Prodigium Academy, where he hopes to join the Pugs' beast ball (basketball) team.

Not only is Bax trying to navigate preteen life and a new identity, he's got to deal with tons of extra body hair, a school full of monsters, and a shoe-stealing phantom. Can Bax and his teammates discover the identity of the phantom and somehow manage to win a game?

I think this was fun. If I'm being nit-picky, I will say, I feel like this book was trying too hard to "speak preteen." The word "baller" is used to describe locations that have nothing to do with any kind of ball, the final two words of the book are "peace out," and "bro/bruh" is used 49 times in the book (yes, I counted). As a middle school teacher, I am around teens and preteens all the time. Most kids don't talk like that. Again, I'm being picky. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read. I'll be passing it along to our school library.

[Bailey Deranger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book I know my son will love. It reminded a lot of Teen Wolf. The pacing is done really well I believe for children, who can easily get bored. There were so many moments I knew would son would laugh at because what kid wouldn’t love to read about an entire school full of monsters!? I can’t wait to share this with my son!

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beast Ballerz 1 is a fun, sports-driven story filled with quirky, not-at-all-scary monsters and plenty of action. Beneath the fast pace, it’s really about friendship, believing in yourself, and learning to work as a team. I had a great time reading it and it feels like the kind of book kids will quickly get hooked on and want to revisit in the promised sequels.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately loved this middle reader - anything with sports is a must-check for me as my boys will read anything with a sport in it. Thought this was great!