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Frankenslime
A young slime scientist is surprised when her latest creation comes to life.
Victoria Franken is a slime scientist.
Her experiments lead to amazing slimes. Until, one dark and stormy night, her latest experiment goes awry and her newest creation COMES TO LIFE!
A picture book twist on horror movies like Frankenstein and The Blob, that also explores the scientific method and the importance of recording observations and results. The author has also included a couple of Victoria’s best slime recipes, although you'll notice the secret formula for making a Frankenstein slime is missing.
Victoria Franken is a slime scientist.
Her experiments lead to amazing slimes. Until, one dark and stormy night, her latest experiment goes awry and her newest creation COMES TO LIFE!
A picture book twist on horror movies like Frankenstein and The Blob, that also explores the scientific method and the importance of recording observations and results. The author has also included a couple of Victoria’s best slime recipes, although you'll notice the secret formula for making a Frankenstein slime is missing.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published July 13, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 13, 2021
The art wasn't my style, but this was very cute and had some fun slime recipes that I intend to experiment with. ;)
December 29, 2021
This book is a lot of fun. Kids love slime and many of them have learned how to make it on YouTube. I like how this book incorporated elements of childhood experience in the illustrations and added the Scientific Method so that you can take it up a notch. Not only is the book funny and vibrant, it includes recipes and ideas for making more slime.
May 20, 2023
Kids will probably enjoy this because it is about slime. I didn't like that the text changed in color from pages at times. This made it difficult to follow and background text as well in the illustrations. There are slime recipes in the back for trying to make the ones mentioned in the book.
September 30, 2024
Fun, but not a lot of plot.
November 3, 2021
Adorable, funny, and awesome!
February 13, 2022
Fun book with bold illustrations and recipes to create your own slime. Great book for budding scientists.
July 21, 2021
Here is the book's simple, yet captivating first line:
Victoria Franken was a slime scientist.
What kid wouldn't want to keep reading after that?
Victoria loved experimenting and creating different slime combinations, but quickly became bored...
Along with her trusted research assistant, (her dog, Igor), Victoria set out to try some new combinations. Following the scientific method, Victoria didn't stop trying, even when she didn't exactly meet with success. Victoria started creating slimes that were so amazing that people lined up to get them!
But she wasn't satisfied. One night she got an idea that wouldn't let her rest. She and Igor went to her attic laboratory. While a storm raged outside, she poured and mixed until...
Victoria held her breath. Igor whimpered.
They watched as this newest slime became ALIVE!
Although Victoria initially runs away from her creation, "cursing her chemistry skills," in the end, Goop (as Victoria names him) becomes her new lab partner, and together they come up with slime recipes which they share at the end of the book.
Both children and adults (who are familiar with the Frankenstein story) will enjoy this book. The recipes at the end are a nice addition to a fictional picture book. The author has inserted a STEM connection too as Victoria learns the importance of recording her observations and results.
Victoria Franken was a slime scientist.
What kid wouldn't want to keep reading after that?
Victoria loved experimenting and creating different slime combinations, but quickly became bored...
Along with her trusted research assistant, (her dog, Igor), Victoria set out to try some new combinations. Following the scientific method, Victoria didn't stop trying, even when she didn't exactly meet with success. Victoria started creating slimes that were so amazing that people lined up to get them!
But she wasn't satisfied. One night she got an idea that wouldn't let her rest. She and Igor went to her attic laboratory. While a storm raged outside, she poured and mixed until...
Victoria held her breath. Igor whimpered.
They watched as this newest slime became ALIVE!
Although Victoria initially runs away from her creation, "cursing her chemistry skills," in the end, Goop (as Victoria names him) becomes her new lab partner, and together they come up with slime recipes which they share at the end of the book.
Both children and adults (who are familiar with the Frankenstein story) will enjoy this book. The recipes at the end are a nice addition to a fictional picture book. The author has inserted a STEM connection too as Victoria learns the importance of recording her observations and results.
March 23, 2021
Frankenslime is, quite frankly, FANTASTIC! I think what makes this such an exceptional book is the number of layers. It has humor - tons of it! It talks about the scientific method in a totally organic, subtle way. It’s a friendship story. It has backmatter that includes slime recipes for budding scientists to try at home. It’s a fun read aloud with lots of alliteration. And the hilarious details in the illustrations will have kids poring over each page with every reading. In my opinion, the slime names alone make it worth the purchase! I’m not sure which is my favorite is “Mustard Slime – Hot Dog Not Included” or “Invisible Slime – Free if You Can Find it!” I’m thrilled there is already a sequel planned for this book!
October 25, 2021
Frankenslime is a story written by Joy Keller and illustrated by Ashley Belote. I located this book on the Barnes and Noble website. This book was only recently published in July of 2021. It has not won any awards, but has received rave reviews from School Library Journal, the Horn Book, Booklist, and Publisher's Weekly, to name a few. This book is recommended for children ages 4-7, but I think this would be a fun read aloud for students that are a little bit older too. Children over 5th grade age though, I think might find the story a bit too baby-ish for them.
This story is about a young girl named Victoria who is a slime scientist. She makes all kinds of slime with her assistant, her dog Igor. One dark and stormy night, her newest slime creation comes to life. How will she handle it? Does she defeat it or is there more to her creation than meets the eye? This book is a modern picture book take on the stories of "Frankenstein" and "The Blob" but it tells the story in a way that also allows readers to explore the scientific method and the importance of recording scientific observations and results. I read this book as an ebook on a Kindle and feel that the format did not really affect my thoughts about the book one way or another. I enjoyed the book the same amount that I would have enjoyed reading the actual book. The only advantage I think the actual book would have over the digital version is that I probably would have enjoyed the pictures even more because they would have stood out and been more vivid in the actual, physical book. The pictures are my absolute favorite thing about this book. They are so detailed, colorful, and whimsical. They really make the reader feel like Victoria is a real scientist. Even on just the first page, you can see Victoria hard at work on making slime. She has jars that are spilling over, a tablet that is playing a how-to video of making slime, notes that Victoria has written down, and the walls are even filled with writing that shows Victoria has kept track of her experiments. Many of the pages are two spread pictures, with the pictures continuing on both pages. This book is also rooted in reality. There are a lot of real-life situations in this story, so it is easier to suspend disbelief with this kind of story than if the story took place in a different world or during a different time period, or if the character wasn't authentic and didn't seem like a real child.
In chapter 8 of CBCH, the authors share a quote about why fantasy and science fiction books are important for children to read. These kinds of books give children hope about their abilities to succeed in the world and helps them live/vent their frustrations vicariously in healthy ways by helping them subconsciously identify with the heroes of the story. I feel that this is a good book to help children do just that. It allows them to see themselves as real scientists, even if they are doing something as simple as making slime. The character is relatable and feels like she could be the reader or one of their best friends because she is very authentic and real. She isn't some genius child or someone who acts older than her age. She is a kid. She makes messes. She talks to her dog like a person. She gets scared and runs away from her slime creation. These are all things that children who read this story can relate to. She also just doesn't come up with these slime creations naturally and just knows what she is doing. She needs help and she goes through trial and error with her experiments until she gets them just right. Readers can see through the pictures that she is working hard to make these slime creations which is a great lesson to teach kids - to work hard for what you want. I love that there is diversity in this story. Victoria is the main character and she is a child of color and a female. The science world is mainly dominated by white males, so it is empowering to see a female of color as a successful scientist. When Victoria is seen selling her slime, the children waiting in line are also very diverse. There are white children, children of color, children wearing hijabs, a child in a wheelchair, and a child wearing glasses. This is not a culturally specifc book, so Victoria could have been a girl or boy or of a different cultural background, and the story would be the same, but I don't think it would be as impactful and powerful. This book really helps show kids that anyone, no matter what or who they are, can become a scientist.
I think this book would be great to teach students about tier 2 vocabulary and scientific vocabulary. There are some really fascinating words that students might not have been exposed to or are familiar with, including words like scoured, satisfying, deter, dubbed, and concotions, just to name a few. This would also be a good book for teaching students about the scientific process and the steps it takes to conduct an experiment. It is also just a good book for teaching kids how to make slime, as the author shares a few slime recipes at the end of the book for kids to try out at home. Of course, Victoria doesn't share her recipe for her slime creature though, as that is top secret.
This story is about a young girl named Victoria who is a slime scientist. She makes all kinds of slime with her assistant, her dog Igor. One dark and stormy night, her newest slime creation comes to life. How will she handle it? Does she defeat it or is there more to her creation than meets the eye? This book is a modern picture book take on the stories of "Frankenstein" and "The Blob" but it tells the story in a way that also allows readers to explore the scientific method and the importance of recording scientific observations and results. I read this book as an ebook on a Kindle and feel that the format did not really affect my thoughts about the book one way or another. I enjoyed the book the same amount that I would have enjoyed reading the actual book. The only advantage I think the actual book would have over the digital version is that I probably would have enjoyed the pictures even more because they would have stood out and been more vivid in the actual, physical book. The pictures are my absolute favorite thing about this book. They are so detailed, colorful, and whimsical. They really make the reader feel like Victoria is a real scientist. Even on just the first page, you can see Victoria hard at work on making slime. She has jars that are spilling over, a tablet that is playing a how-to video of making slime, notes that Victoria has written down, and the walls are even filled with writing that shows Victoria has kept track of her experiments. Many of the pages are two spread pictures, with the pictures continuing on both pages. This book is also rooted in reality. There are a lot of real-life situations in this story, so it is easier to suspend disbelief with this kind of story than if the story took place in a different world or during a different time period, or if the character wasn't authentic and didn't seem like a real child.
In chapter 8 of CBCH, the authors share a quote about why fantasy and science fiction books are important for children to read. These kinds of books give children hope about their abilities to succeed in the world and helps them live/vent their frustrations vicariously in healthy ways by helping them subconsciously identify with the heroes of the story. I feel that this is a good book to help children do just that. It allows them to see themselves as real scientists, even if they are doing something as simple as making slime. The character is relatable and feels like she could be the reader or one of their best friends because she is very authentic and real. She isn't some genius child or someone who acts older than her age. She is a kid. She makes messes. She talks to her dog like a person. She gets scared and runs away from her slime creation. These are all things that children who read this story can relate to. She also just doesn't come up with these slime creations naturally and just knows what she is doing. She needs help and she goes through trial and error with her experiments until she gets them just right. Readers can see through the pictures that she is working hard to make these slime creations which is a great lesson to teach kids - to work hard for what you want. I love that there is diversity in this story. Victoria is the main character and she is a child of color and a female. The science world is mainly dominated by white males, so it is empowering to see a female of color as a successful scientist. When Victoria is seen selling her slime, the children waiting in line are also very diverse. There are white children, children of color, children wearing hijabs, a child in a wheelchair, and a child wearing glasses. This is not a culturally specifc book, so Victoria could have been a girl or boy or of a different cultural background, and the story would be the same, but I don't think it would be as impactful and powerful. This book really helps show kids that anyone, no matter what or who they are, can become a scientist.
I think this book would be great to teach students about tier 2 vocabulary and scientific vocabulary. There are some really fascinating words that students might not have been exposed to or are familiar with, including words like scoured, satisfying, deter, dubbed, and concotions, just to name a few. This would also be a good book for teaching students about the scientific process and the steps it takes to conduct an experiment. It is also just a good book for teaching kids how to make slime, as the author shares a few slime recipes at the end of the book for kids to try out at home. Of course, Victoria doesn't share her recipe for her slime creature though, as that is top secret.
October 30, 2021
A cute story about experimenting, with successes and failures.
Focuses on a chemical-type of experiment because the focus is multiple types of slime.
Includes some slime recipes.
Focuses on a chemical-type of experiment because the focus is multiple types of slime.
Includes some slime recipes.
July 14, 2023
For more bookish thoughts, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle
A fun story about experimentation, creativity, and new friends.
Victoria Franken loves slime. She’s known for her creative recipes. But has her latest recipe gone too far?
A delightful spin on the story of Frankenstein. While it is silly and fun, it also works in some scientific elements in the background such as listing the steps of the scientific method and showing the viscosity of slime. Delightful read for a young audience, especially those who love slime. Could easily be used for older children as well to work on scientific concepts while experimenting and making slime.
The artwork is really fun and pairs well with the story. I enjoyed seeing the results of Victoria’s various recipes.
At the end, there are three recipes to make your own slime.
Loved the emphasis on trying different things, persevering through failure, and letting your imagination run wild.
A fun story about experimentation, creativity, and new friends.
Victoria Franken loves slime. She’s known for her creative recipes. But has her latest recipe gone too far?
A delightful spin on the story of Frankenstein. While it is silly and fun, it also works in some scientific elements in the background such as listing the steps of the scientific method and showing the viscosity of slime. Delightful read for a young audience, especially those who love slime. Could easily be used for older children as well to work on scientific concepts while experimenting and making slime.
The artwork is really fun and pairs well with the story. I enjoyed seeing the results of Victoria’s various recipes.
At the end, there are three recipes to make your own slime.
Loved the emphasis on trying different things, persevering through failure, and letting your imagination run wild.
January 18, 2021
It's alive!!! In a clever picture book version rendition of Frankenstein's Monster, Joy Keller and Ashley Belote have created a truly delightful read. This book hooks you in from the very first line with and, like one of Victoria's slimey concoctions, keeps you glued to your seat until the very end. Victoria is an ambitious scientist whose knack for inventing slime knows no match. But when one of her midnight epiphanies goes awry, Victoria and Igor must contend with the monster their creativity has created...leading to a sweet and endearing end. Ashley's illustrations are brilliant with so many little details to catch your eye and keep your attention, and the book includes some very fun back matter with some of Victoria's very own slime recipes.
April 27, 2021
Are your kiddos obsessed with slime? I know mine are! They are also obsessed with science experiments so when I learned about this new picture book which mashed both I jumped at the chance to review it. I am happy to report that I love this little slime scientist and book even more than I knew I would! It is a hilarious picture book twist on Frankenstein with pages upon pages of slime and even slime recipes in the back! What I love most about this book though is the celebration of experiments and highlighting the importance of learning from trial and error - I highly recommend checking this one out!
October 18, 2021
This one is perfect for the young slime maker in your life! Young Victoria Franken is the Queen of Slime in her community. One night while she’s mixing a new batch of slime, a lightening strike hits her lab and her glowing green slime comes to life. She runs for her life, but perhaps there’s nothing to be afraid of after all. The back matter includes a recipe for Cloud Slime, Intergalactic Space Slime, and Glow-in-the-Dark Zombie Slime.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
October 6, 2024
This is a cute story. I don't often review children's books, but the more I'm reading to my son the more I think I'm going to read and review these.
The story is about a young scientist working to create her perfect slime. It's silly, it's uplifting, it's got good art, my son really loves potions and so he's all into it.
There's even some slime recipes at the end for your kid to make if they like arts and crafts.
I tend to give 5/5's only to the ones that really impact me as an adult and I'm like, "wow, that's a really good message for kids" but generally, cute fun stories get 4 stars.
The story is about a young scientist working to create her perfect slime. It's silly, it's uplifting, it's got good art, my son really loves potions and so he's all into it.
There's even some slime recipes at the end for your kid to make if they like arts and crafts.
I tend to give 5/5's only to the ones that really impact me as an adult and I'm like, "wow, that's a really good message for kids" but generally, cute fun stories get 4 stars.
February 21, 2021
Joy Keller's slimy story is stellar! And Ashley Belote's creative and colorful illustrations make this slime story ooze off the page and into a child's heart. From the first spread, you're rooting for this sweet little girl and her overworked pooch Igor. And then the unexpected happens! I won't give it away, but you must get this book. It even has several different slime recipes in the back so every reader can make their own gooshy, glittery, galactic slime at home. Well done, Joy Keller and Ashley Belote!
April 25, 2021
Oh my slime! This book is hysterical AND suspenseful. With nods to Mary Shelley for the picture book crowd, Frankenslime has literary heft and humor, STEM concepts, suspense with a surprise twist, and of course, slime itself. This will be an absolute winner with kids, and great for science classes too. Fans of Creepy Carrots and The Dark will love this fresh take on experiments gone wrong. Ashley Belote's illustrations add so much additional humor - the names of all the "slimes," for one. And their facial expressions! Priceless.
October 31, 2021
Victoria Franken is a scientist. A slime scientist. She makes so many different kinds of slime, but when one of them gets struck by lightening, she creates a living entity of slime.
This is the kind of book that has so much in the pictures. You'll want to spend a long time reading all of the captions and labels and posters and signs on the pages.
For those interested readers, there are several slime recipes at the end that you can make.
The illustrations have a wonderful "animated" feel. This is the illustrator's first book.
This is the kind of book that has so much in the pictures. You'll want to spend a long time reading all of the captions and labels and posters and signs on the pages.
For those interested readers, there are several slime recipes at the end that you can make.
The illustrations have a wonderful "animated" feel. This is the illustrator's first book.
June 9, 2022
A little scientist who loves slime experiments to come up with new slimes with her lab assistant dog, Igor. But on one dark and stormy night do they come up with one slime too many?
This is much more cute and funny than scary. It does give nods to Frankenstein but only in the lightning stimulating life area. I like how our little scientist doesn't give up when her recipes don't work out the way she wants, she perseveres. There are creative slime recipes in the back of the book for fellow wannabe scientists.
This is much more cute and funny than scary. It does give nods to Frankenstein but only in the lightning stimulating life area. I like how our little scientist doesn't give up when her recipes don't work out the way she wants, she perseveres. There are creative slime recipes in the back of the book for fellow wannabe scientists.
September 29, 2022
Victoria Franken is a slime scientist! How fun is that? As she creates and creates, people line up to buy her new slime creations. Until, one of them comes to life and comes after her. What does it want? Will she escape?
With a few bonus slime recipes at the end, this book is a ton of fun and a great group read aloud. I'll probably use it with older kids as part of a slime activity, although it could be used with preschoolers without making slime (unless you're very brave or doing it one-on-one!)
With a few bonus slime recipes at the end, this book is a ton of fun and a great group read aloud. I'll probably use it with older kids as part of a slime activity, although it could be used with preschoolers without making slime (unless you're very brave or doing it one-on-one!)
March 15, 2021
Fans of 1997's Flubber will appreciate and fall in love with this story. Ashley's illustrations are "Alive" with action and color. I love how jiggly the flubber looks. This story lend's itself to multiple reads, figuring out all the flubber "sciency" details and the page where the jars are all labeled will keep viewers busy for hours. Her faithful sidekick, Igor is so loveable. Recipes are included in the back.
March 15, 2021
This delightful read aloud is a celebration of all things slime, with a spooky twist! Joy Keller has crafted a fun read aloud, with alliterative language and a clever homage to Frankenstein. Ashely Belote's illustrations are the perfect match for this text, and young readers will be enchanted by the images of the creative concoctions on each page. Bonus! At the end of the book, you can make your own slime, thanks to the included recipes.
April 23, 2021
Frakenslime is a slip-slidingly fun! Joy Keller has dreamed up characters and a creative adventure that will be very satisfying and inspiring for slime lovers everywhere. It was a blast to see Victoria and Igor mix up batch after batch of inventive slime. My favorite spread shows the psychedelic Rainbow Slime/Intergalactic Slime/Glow-In-The-Dark Slime, but I adore Ashley Belote's art on every page. I'm looking forward to seeing Victoria, Igor, and Slime in their next slime-tastic book!
August 22, 2021
We loved this book! The illustrations are beautiful and add so much to the story. The story itself is great to read at home aloud to your family or at school with your students. The story is really fun and also gives a glimpse into experimenting and the scientific process or trying and trying again. And working with what you got.
In the back of the book there are instructions on how to make 3 different kinds of slime.
In the back of the book there are instructions on how to make 3 different kinds of slime.
February 19, 2022
With FRANKENSLIME, Joy Keller has cooked up a read aloud that oozes fun, and with a recipe that includes just the right amount of kid-friendly suspense. Ashley Belote’s illustrations are the perfect complement, making the story shine more than glow-in-the-dark zombie slime. Definitely take the time to find the myriad types of creative slime found in the background, and check out the cool recipes in the back matter.
November 5, 2022
Read this to my k - 2 classes. The kids enjoyed it, and a lot of them love slime or have made it before.
Victoria Franken is adorable! The story and illustrations are so cute , and I love all the little notes that are in the background. The story also provides a great opportunity to talk about scientific experimentation and the scientific method.
Also a great story for spooky season that’s not explicitly about Halloween, for those that don’t celebrate.
Victoria Franken is adorable! The story and illustrations are so cute , and I love all the little notes that are in the background. The story also provides a great opportunity to talk about scientific experimentation and the scientific method.
Also a great story for spooky season that’s not explicitly about Halloween, for those that don’t celebrate.
July 17, 2021
It's alive!!! This is a must read book if you have a young child that is into slime. A clever picture book version rendition of Frankenstein's Monster, Joy Keller and Ashley Belote have created a truly delightful read. Ashley's illustrations are brilliant with so many details to keep your eyes wondering the pages.
October 31, 2022
A young dark-skinned girl loves to experiment with slime. She makes all kinds of slime until one night her slime gathers itself and chases her. Victoria runs and her dog, Igor, is close behind. When the slime catches up it hands her a pencil and Victoria remembers that she didn't write this recipe down. Good thing the slime remembered.
Back pages include several recipes for slime.
Back pages include several recipes for slime.
January 24, 2024
This book shows importance of problem-solving while entertaining kids through the silly obstacles they come across as they try to make slime. It's a fun book to read around Halloween as it relates to Frankenstein, it even gives an activity to do at the end which is making the slime used in the book.
January 13, 2025
My kids really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed all of the creativity and reimagining of my all time favorite story. (Frankenstein)
The back matter slime recipes are GENIUS! I already have two scientists that want to create glow in the dark zombie slime, and I'm pretty excited to make it as well!
The back matter slime recipes are GENIUS! I already have two scientists that want to create glow in the dark zombie slime, and I'm pretty excited to make it as well!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews