Monster, Human, Other

by Laurel Gale

For readers of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener comes a perfectly peculiar tale that shows the scariest monsters are often the ones we create for ourselves.

MONSTER.
Isaac Read doesn't feel like a monster. He's just like every other kid on his block--as long as he tapes down his tail, that is!

HUMAN.
Wren wishes her adopted family would stop teasing her about her lousy sense of smell and poor sense of direction. It's not her fault she doesn't have their sensitive snouts and keen eyesight.

OTHER.
The overcrowded voracans hate getting walked all over--literally. They live underground.

Broken promises and new alliances spell trouble for Wren and Isaac as the voracans try to claw their way to the top--and bring some unlikely suspects with them!

Genres: Middle Grade

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

Laurel Gale writes books for children. Her first picture book, Robots Don't Make You Go to Bed, was published in 2024. Her next picture book, Absolutely No Worries, comes out in 2025. Her children's novels include Dead Boy and Story Magic. She lives with her husband and their ferrets in Idaho. In addition to writing, she enjoys taking wildlife photos, playing board games, and reading. She loves animals and thinks mustelids (ferrets, weasels, otters, mink, etc.) are simply the best. You can visit Laurel online at laurelgale.com or on X/Twitter at @laurel_gale.

Reviews

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gales, Lauren Monster, Human, Other, 309 pages. Crown Books, 2017. $17.00. Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG;

Isaac, a young clepsit (a race of humanoid creatures with furry tails) living in a human world, and Wren, his human counterpart living with the clepsits, are training to be diplomats in the hopes that human/clepsit relations will continue to be cordial. Isaac enjoys the human world but chafes against having to move constantly for fear of neighbors and friends discovering he is actually a clepsit. Wren battles prejudice and feeling like an outsider as a human among clepsits. Their lives are turned upside down when Isaac is captured by the voracans (a race of underground- dwelling monsters who are made out of spikes and feed on human bone marrow) and his human parents are framed for his apparent killing. The voracans are planning to take over the world and kidnap Isaac to disturb human/clepsit relations.
Isaac and Wren must work through their own situations to save the world from the voracans.

I liked the imaginative premise and the focus on tolerance and empathy for others who are unlike us. The story developed nicely and had some interesting twists.
Although some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional the overall values the book is trying to teach were quite clear, and there were enough situations where the reader is forced to ask thought-provoking questions that it’s an overall worthwhile read.

EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Jerusha Johnson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read with some unique elements and the possibility of more stories in the future. Eleven-year-olds Isaac Read and Wren of Snow are living with members of a different group in order to foster awareness and a strong relationship between their people. He's from the clepsit family, and she's a human, and both have their own struggles fitting in with their host families. Think of it as a sort of foreign exchange program that extends across a lifetime. When a group of voracans, prickly little beasts that look like a cross between a hedgehog and a pufferfish, decide to cause trouble between the two groups, the groups turn on each other. With war looming and Isaac kidnapped, Wren decides to see if she can do anything to calm things down. The book is filled with humor surrounding Wren's confusion about human ways. Despite the fact that she is human, she was not reared with clepsits, and she has no idea how to open doors or recognize objects common to everyday existence for humans. Isaac, on the other hand, has to cope with changing hair and skin color over the course of a year, forcing his family to move frequently. The prejudices both must deal with seem very real and might remind readers of their own assumptions about those who are unfamiliar to them. This was a fast and engaging read. I liked how the author included Mine, a chess-playing voracan with a heart.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humans do not realize that they are sharing the planet with human-like creatures called clepsits. Clans of clepsits live in burrows, they change color every six months with the seasons. And they have tails.

For generations, one human child and one clepsit child have switched places to learn about the other civilization. These children grow up to be ambassadors who work to keep peace between humans and clepsits.

Eleven-year-old clepsit Isaac Read and human Wren of Snow are the current ambassadors-in-training. But neither is happy with the exchange. Also, something has been lurking in the shadows around Isaac and Wren recently. Are they imagining things? Or are they in danger? Monsters abound in this gripping middle grade tale! Readers will enjoy the excitement, the thrilling adventure, and learning about the imaginary beings that exist on Earth with us.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice. I loved the flaws on the current ambassador system, and that several were able to acknowledge and make room for nessisairy good change. I hope to get more of the kids involvement and more Mine from a book 2 if one gets made

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids will enjoy this innovative, action-packed adventure that pits the wits and wisdom of kids against forces that plot to take over the world. An empowering and hopeful read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

my mom received a copy of this book from Netgalley and gave it to me to read. Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley. I am 10 years old, I found the reading level perfect. I found the interest level perfect. I really liked everything about this book, especially how the monsters are made from things that resemble porcupine quills. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.