Publishers Weekly
With maniacal glee, Rex (Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich) delivers spot-on rhymes about B-movie monsters, loosely organized around the nuptials of Frankenstein and his bride. An oil painting of the wedding cake is as creamy as a Wayne Thiebaud confection, and an author bio in haiku silences quibblers: "He knows Frankenstein's/ the doctor, not the monster/ Enough already." In a digital comics sequence, Frankenstein's mother-in-law frets over her daughter's resurrection and engagement ("I'm an open-minded person.... but I never thought my little girl would marry someone green. There, I said it"); later, the Bride questions her betrothed but decides, "I'm not getting any less dead." Rex's ideal audience may be pop-culture buffs: he spoofs Peanuts with a vampiric Charlie Brown; plans the Frankensteins' reception menu around monsters' food allergies (no garlic for Dracula); sets up the Headless Horseman's photo blog on the tribulations of having a pumpkin head; and creates a running gag about "The Raven," where a sarcastic bird mocks Edgar Allan Poe. Rex's eclectic imagery and freewheeling verse will have readers going back for seconds. Ages 5-10. (Sept.)
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School Library Journal
Gr 3-6
Rex returns with a sophisticated and stylish sequel to his sidesplitting Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (Harcourt, 2006). From a stream of consciousness that seems to have retained and remixed an assemblage of horror movies, literature classes, comic strips, and observations of the human condition, the narrative flows despite multiple mediums and frequent interruptions. Children who have seen the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein will get the most out of the framing story, told initially in sequential panels and featuring the conically coiffed mate-to-be in a lively exchange with her mother over marrying someone with green skin and the looming wedding expenses coming just hours after the girl's funeral. Interspersed with the marital plot are blog posts from the Headless Horseman (exhibiting photographs of his decomposing head and the sensible canned substitute) and glimpses into Edgar Allan Poe's study, rendered in shadowy charcoals. These scenes are hilarious for students in the know. Rex channels the tortured poet's meter, internal rhyme scheme, and alliteration throughout his parody during which Poe struggles for the right choice in a crossword puzzle involving the wife of a "veep": "But what the devil is a veep?" he weeps, as lo, the clock strikes four. Quoth the raven, 'Tipper Gore.'" Godzilla haikus, a Peanuts-inspired Dracula Junior, endpapers that give the raven the last word-there's something here for the kid in everyone. This gifted artist, whose clever wordplay reveals a wonderfully warped sense of comedy, has whipped up another winner.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
A snort-inducing companion to 2006's Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Rex's return to horror-poetry finds the green-skinned monster getting ready for his wedding, complete with a comic-strip visit to his future mother-in-law ("I'm not trying to be mean, but I never thought my little girl would be marrying someone green") and best man Dracula encountering garlic bread at the buffet. In between, Edgar Allan Poe struggles repeatedly to find a rhyme scheme, the Headless Horseman blogs about the difficulties of using a pumpkin for a head and a quartet of haiku celebrates Japanese monster cinema ("A winter wager: / Will Godzilla's tongue freeze to / Mechagodzilla?"). It's a dizzying pastiche of artistic and poetic styles that includes an advertisement for witch diet products ("...with only one bucket of water a day!") and a faux-Peanuts Sunday strip featuring a Charlie Brown-like Dracula Jr. Some of the humor will resonate more with adults than kids, but there's something in here for just about everyone-even a grouchy raven. (Picture book/poetry. 7-12)
From the Publisher
Praise for the bestselling Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich: “With irreverent entries such as ‘Count Dracula Doesn’t Know He’s Been Walking Around All Night with Spinach in His Teeth,” this mash of monster poems will send kids howling (with laughter).” —Family Fun (star) “Readers will relish every gross and hilarious entry in this monstrous menu of misadventures... Here’s a read-aloud candidate sure to elicit loud screams—but not of fright.” —Kirkus Reviews(starred) (star) “The book is fresh, creative, and funny, with just enough gory detail to cause a few gasps. Kids will eat it up.” —School Library Journal (starred) (star) “Rex gives readers the pleasure of discovering punch lines on their own, and his droll, ultra-detailed paintings show he takes comedy seriously.” — Publishers Weekly (starred) —
Family Fun
The fiendishly funny picture book FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE, by Adam Rex, is a compilation of silly rhymes and Mad Magazine-style gags paired with gently spooky illustrations. Especially hilarious are 'Off the Top of My Head: The Official Blog of the Headless Horseman' and a trio of Edgar Allan Poe spoofs featuring a couplet-savvy raven.”—Family Fun, October 2008
FEBRUARY 2009 - AudioFile
L.J. Ganser squeezes every bit of fun out of Rex's amusing poems and wordplay as he creates entertaining voices for Frankenstein and his many friends. This poetry collection is loosely clustered around Frankenstein's impending wedding and the catering questions it raises: You can't serve garlic if Dracula's coming, and silverware is off-putting to werewolves. There are also pieces about Edgar Allan Poe's writer's block and a work titled "Off the Top of My Head: The Official Blog of the Headless Horseman." The poetry reflects Rex's offbeat humor, which is as likely to please adults as it will kids. All listeners will appreciate Ganser's dramatic abilities, whether he's bringing to life tensions between Frankenstein's bride and her mother-in-law, or the challenge of feeding monsters with eclectic dietary needs. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
