What Is the Story of Frankenstein?

What Is the Story Of?

by Sheila Keenan, David Malan (Illustrations), Who H.Q.

Your favorite characters are now part of the Who HQ library!

One of the most iconic monsters of all time comes to life in our What Is the Story Of? series.

From his origins in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, through his many movie portrayals in the twentieth century, Frankenstein is one of the most recognizable characters in the world. His iconic look is a go-to Halloween costume for kids and adults alike. But how did the mad scientist and his creation become so popular? Author Sheila Keenan explains his spooky origin story, the history of the movies, and what lies ahead for this monstrous creature.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Horror, History, Middle Grade, Juvenile

112 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2019

About the author

Sheila Keenan is an established author of fiction and nonfiction for young people. Her books include the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Dogs of War, the picture book As the Crow Flies, I Spy The Illuminati Eye, and O, Say Can You See? America’s Symbols, Landmarks and Inspiring Words, among other selected titles. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing that an eighteen year old young woman created such an icon.

[Lukas Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was about the story of Frankenstein and how it became a big thing, There was many different versions of Frankenstein and he was a very popular horror character. The genre is realistic fiction because it was about a fake person but a realistic time period. This author has made a lot of books and they compare because a lot of them are about certain people. The protagonist is Frankenstein and he was also antagonist. The Frankenstein story is not believable but the book is Okay. This book is well written and it is inspiring because it teaches you can write good stories. This was exactly what I expected because all the who was or what is stories are all predictable and are about one person or a group. I would recommend this book if you like Frankenstein and the series and I recommend this because it tell you about the character Frankenstein and how he was a story.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad loved the Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Invisible Man, The Wolf man and Creature from the Black Lagoon) and I have many fond memories of watching those old black and white movies with him and my brother and sister. We used to watch in the basement, with the lights off!!
Many years later, I had the pleasure of rewatching some of the movies with my dad and my son.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been saving this one for an October read with the kids. The focus ends up being more on the media portrayal of the monster, whereas I think the most interesting thing about Frankenstein is Mary Shelley. This was a good way to help the kids really understand the story without the common misconceptions.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that not only describes the life of Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein, but it also shows how the story has changed over the years. It was originally written as a challenge to keep several people entertained at a party in the early 1810s. It eventually became a movie which changed how people viewed the entertainment from silent movies to air-conditioned theater.

[Victoria B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing the timeline in the back, which would've been helpful to note when Mary Shelley was born, when she met Percy Shelley, when they went on the trip with Byron, when she started/finished writing, various publications, movies/comics/etc.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, concise retelling of the birth of this story. She does take liberty with some of the facts, fabricating a bit to fill in the gaps, but I didn't feel that detracted from the truth of what really occurred.

[Bethany Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our read-aloud for October. Since we have read Frankenstein and watched the movie every year there wasn't a lot of new information. It's a good overview of the story. It also has a lot of history about the Hollywood movies.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the Story of Frankenstein?, Sheila Keenan
Love this series. This time, the classic pop icon. They do a great job in giving background context and ongoing influence on modern popular culture and where the trajectory differs from the original novel. ****

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one to Mom at the care center. I learned that the inventor of the pacemaker was inspired by the 1931 movie. I wish the asides came at the end of each chapter instead of interrupting the chapter.

[Susan's Sweat Smells Like Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm now inspired to give the original novel a try!

[Sabrina]

Interesting.

[Sheila Keenan]

In answer to Victoria B's comment, What is the Story of Frankenstein includes a full-color, pullout timeline at the back of the book, with key dates and photos.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frankenstein is on my list to read so I decided to get a little behind the scenes knowledge. I enjoyed it and now can't wait to read the book!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but I actually found the parts about Mary Shelley's life even more fascinating. I want a whole book just on her!

[Cari Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect read for after reading the original book

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and now Mary Shelley’s original novel is on my list to read!

[Cindy Jiménez-Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espléndido homenaje a los monstruos clásicos de los estudios cinematográficos de Universal, y al legado de Mary Shelley.

[Sundee Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I'm totally addicted to the WhoHQ series, and this was a fun one, just in time for Halloween. I particularly liked this volume because it didn't just talk about the story in the book, but more focused on Mary Shelley and her journey writing it.