The Robe of Skulls (review)

Young Gracie Gillypot has escaped from her evil stepfather and stepsister Foyce with help from a bat named Marlon, who has plans for her that involve a mysterious group he calls "the Crones." Meanwhile, Foyce, pursing Gracie, comes upon a rather desperate sorceress named Lamorna and eagerly becomes part of Lamorna's dastardly plan to kidnap all the area princes and maybe a few princesses, too, and turn them into frogs so that their royal parents will pay large amounts of money to have the spell undone. As Gracie flees and Lamorna and Foyce plot, young Prince Marcus—the naughty half of a pair of twin princes—plays hooky and discovers Lamorna's plans just a little too late. This engaging frolic is campily over-the-top rather than scary, featuring deliciously resonant character names such as Mange Undershaft and kingdoms like Gorebreath and Dreghorn. Collins' black-and-white line drawings, dropped haphazardly into the text, perfectly complement the story, offering visual metaphors for the heady narrative mix of melodrama and humor. Middle-schoolers will find a lot to love in the story elements, such as stew that is either satisfying or stupefying depending on the trueness of your heart, and a troll that cheerfully wears his head backwards for part of the story. This is a clever take on elements familiar to fairy-tale readers, one that will have them applauding Gracie's, Marcus', and Marlon's ingenuity.