We Found a Monster by Kirk Scroggs (review)

Monster lovers and Jeff Kinney fans will unite to gobble up the notebook of Casey Clive, noted monster expert (or so he claims). Our author Casey shares his home with his dad, a walleyed rabbit named Ygor, and some rowdy roommates, all of whom are monsters. Then new kid Zandra notices Casey and his monster friends, because Zandra has a gargantuan problem of her own: a sick, color-changing, 500-pound beast named Spot. Can Casey and Zandra nurse Spot back to health? Will Casey's dad notice that the gremlins ate the TV remote again? And what's this strange orb that keeps following the kids around? Readers are in for a wild ride with this graphic novel full of scribbly doodles, newspaper clippings, and satirical odes to classic horror. Scroggs veers from fart jokes to dry wit, with Casey's narration ringing true for a smart, weird kid with a rampant imagination. There are touches of warmth and grief in amongst the monster manga, as Casey reveals that his mother passed away recently and life with Dad has had some major low points, and the book soon reveals Zandra's own tragic and mysterious past. Along with his own takes on Frankenstein and zombies, Scroggs includes some lesser known and newly created spooks in his cast of characters, such as teleporting cephalopod Topo and Zandra's Yōkai friend (so that's why she's always carrying an umbrella!), that keep this creature feature fresh. More humor than horror, this is a fast, fun ride, full of friendship, danger, and bunny poop.