Monster Mayhem

by Christopher Eliopoulos, Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)

Overview

From the creator of Cosmic Commandos comes a funny, action-packed graphic novel adventure—when a science-obsessed girl finds herself in the middle of one of her favorite monster movies, can she invent her way out of disaster while also saving the monster who has become her friend?

Zoe's favorite thing to do—besides invent and build robots—is watch classic monster movies. She has never been comfortable with kids her own age, and so she pretends she doesn't need friends while inside she's longing for connection. And then one day, Zoe finds a mysterious ring on her way home from school. She puts it on, gives it a twist, and—FRZAAKK! There's a massive burst of light! The next morning, a familiar monster appears at Zoe's window. He's from one of her favorite kaiju movies, and he likes Zoe—he wants to be her friend. Has her secret wish been fulfilled? But it turns out that Zoe's ring has brought more than just this friendly monster to life. More monsters have arrived, and they are hungry! Now she'll need to reach out to other people to help her save her town from destruction. Good thing she's a robotics genius!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593110034
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/03/2020
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	1,012,162
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career as a letterer for Marvel and has worked on thousands of comics, including Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated. He is the illustrator of the New York Times–bestselling Ordinary People Change the World series of picture book biographies. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons.

Editorial Reviews

07/02/2018
Zoe has trouble making friends, but she excels at inventing robots and getting lost in classic monster movies. When she stumbles upon a magic ring, it summons a giant, building-eating monster, nicknamed “Chomp,” to be her friend. It also calls to Chomp’s pals, who begin to arrive and cause widespread destruction until Zoe, her classmates, her robot assistant, and her new monster friend find a way to protect the city. Through her confrontation with the monsters, Zoe makes friends and learns what it means to trust and collaborate with others. Cartoon art by Eliopoulos (the Ordinary People Change the World series) renders the monstrous antagonists menacing but not entirely terrifying, while Chomp is round and friendly looking, with a protruding lower tooth.This fun, relatable tale captures how children can lose themselves in interests to distract from feelings of loneliness and isolation. While the story occurs in the same universe as Eliopoulos’s Cosmic Commandos, it also works perfectly as a standalone. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

08/01/2018
Gr 3–6—Zoe, a young black girl, is too busy building robots and watching movies about kaiju (giant monsters) to have friends. Besides, getting close to other people can lead to heartbreak, as she knows from painful experience. Zoe keeps to herself at the Advanced School of Technology, and in her free time she escapes to the abandoned amusement park, where she is building a robot so big that she can sit inside to control its movements. When she finds a ring on the ground and puts it on, her dreams of kaiju come to life. The first creature is friendly, but more keep appearing, and they want to eat all the towering buildings. Zoe realizes it's going to take more than just her, her robots, and one friendly kaiju to save the city. Maybe relying on others isn't such a bad idea after all. While the magic ring ties this book to Eliopoulos's Cosmic Commandos, it easily stands alone. The simple panel design, clear black linework, and vibrant color make the tale inviting and accessible. The theme of the importance of friendship and asking for help is a bit overdone, but the story is so fun that readers won't mind. VERDICT With robots and giant (and cute) monsters, this is a surefire hit among younger graphic novel fans.—Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2018-06-17
A robot-building genius named Zoe discovers that making friends is worth the risk of disappointment. Zoe, a black girl with puffy hair and no tolerance for dresses, is a natural at building complex robots, but she has a hard time making friends. Once, a classmate coaxed her away from her robot to play outside. But Zoe overheard her telling others that they weren't really friends, and Zoe has avoided peers and shunned the idea of companionship ever since. She is a fan of kaiju—monster movies—and no one knows that she spends her spare time in an abandoned amusement park building a giant robot from spare ride parts. One day, she finds a ring and puts it on, and later that day, a monster from her kaiju movies appears outside her house. Chomp becomes her friend, but his friends and family come after him, and Zoe must find a way to save the city from the horde of building-eating monsters. When she finally turns to her teachers and classmates at her Advanced School of Technology, she discovers that getting help and being friends may not be so bad. The illustrations are endearing, Eliopoulos taking advantage of the graphic-novel format for appropriately cinematic double takes and exaggeratedly funny reactions, and the story will keep readers giggling, gasping, and turning pages all the way to the thoroughly delightful end.Adventurous and exciting—and warm and fuzzy, too. (Graphic fantasy. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews