Readers will be enthralled by the dark and exacting verse, beautifully accompanied by haunting black-and-white watercolor spreads. . . A must-purchase.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“[T]his is a stirring, impeccably researched portrait of a remarkable woman and her literary 'progeny.' Much like Mary, Judge forges a Creature all her own.” —Booklist
“Darkly evocative . . . Students of literature will appreciate the powerful poetry that brings life to Mary Shelley's story the way that Shelley herself breathed life into her novel of a scientist who animates a corpse.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A godsend for high school students approaching the Romantics with skepticism (and for teachers charged with demonstrating their relevance) . . . A booktalk-ready title with broad YA appeal.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Impressive.” —Horn Book
“Fans of [Mary Shelley] will be enamored with the effort put into this artistic portrayal.” —VOYA
“Both timely and terrifying, Mary’s Monster revives an origin story too seldom told. Mary Shelley lives again in this arresting hybrid of a graphic novel in verse.” —Gregory Maguire, New York Times–bestselling author of Wicked
“Mary's Monster is extraordinary in both art and language. The reader is swept up by its passion, its sadness, and the incredible strength of its protagonist. Stunning, heartbreaking, and beautiful.” —Kristin Cashore, author of the Graceling Realm series
“What an intensely, darkly beautiful book. An astonishing, profoundly moving vision of Mary Shelley’s life and her creation.” —Tui T. Sutherland, New York Times–bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series
“Lita Judge breathes life into Mary Shelley just as Mary Shelley breathed life into Frankenstein’s monster. A remarkable achievement.” —Karen Hesse, MacArthur Fellow and Newbery Medal–winning author of Out of the Dust
“With gripping text and heartbreaking images, the story unfolds like a gothic fairy tale—crackling with rage, riven with pain, and pulsating with ferocious beauty.” —Laura Ruby, Printz Award–winning author of Bone Gap
“Lita Judge gorgeously entwines sensuous illustration and verse to render Mary Shelley’s vivid, turbulent story as no one else could. Darkly lovely, Mary’s Monster will haunt you.” —Julie Berry, Printz Honor–winning author of The Passion of Dolssa
★ 01/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Judge details the life of the great Mary Shelley through poetry in this atmospheric and illustrated volume. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a classic masterpiece of horror and science fiction, and Judge treats it as such, hyping up the events that would lead to it's creation—from her tumultuous relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley to trials and tribulations of being a disowned woman in the 1800s. Readers will be enthralled by the dark and exacting verse, beautifully accompanied by haunting black-and-white watercolor spreads. In the poem "I Am Seventeen": "Already/I am daughter to a ghost/and mother to bones." This work does not skimp on the details, however sordid they may be. The pain, fervor, and tragic events that drove Shelley's inspiration for Frankenstein will sit with readers well after the volume is finished. It also discusses the issue of women's rights at the time (or lack thereof) in a somberly poignant way that mirrors many of Shelley's own experiences. VERDICT A must-purchase for any middle and high school or public library YA collections, particularly where Gothic horror is in demand.—Molly Dettmann, Moore Public Library, OK
2017-11-13
That a teenage girl in 19th-century England could have written a novel as original as Frankenstein has fascinated generations of readers. This fictionalized biography in first-person free verse unveils how Mary Shelley's unusual experiences shaped her imagination and inspired her to give the world the first "mad scientist" in science fiction. From extensive source material, Judge pieces together a timeline from 1812 until the anonymous publication of Frankenstein in 1817. As a pregnant teenager, Mary is banished by her father for her relationship with libertine poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her social circle of prolific Romantic-era writers includes poet Lord Byron, who challenges the group to write ghost stories one rainy evening. (Among the tidbits in the backmatter are thumbnail biographies of these secondary players and a bibliography of related titles.) The author/illustrator pulls no punches in her portrayal of Mary's dismal life. The book is heavily illustrated in black-and-white wash, with darkly evocative images that echo the grief behind Mary's writing, including the loss of a baby and sharing Percy Shelley with her stepsister, Claire. A prologue and epilogue from the Creature's point of view pull modern readers in: "She conceived me…till I was bold enough to climb out of the page / and into your mind."Students of literature will appreciate the powerful poetry that brings life to Mary Shelley's story the way that Shelley herself breathed life into her novel of a scientist who animates a corpse. (introduction, biographical note, author's note, notes, bibliography) (Historical verse novel. 13-17)
