Night of the Frankenfrogs

June 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-As punishment for creating a giant mess in their school, Carol, Jarvis, Mitchell, and Rosario (known to their classmates as the Creeps) are being forced to perform the tasks normally completed by the janitor. When they discover that the frog specimens intended for dissection in their science class are missing, they know that they will be blamed, so they set out to discover who the real culprit might be. After a harrowing trek through the sewer and an encounter with a mad scientist, they are horrified to discover that the missing frog specimens have been reanimated as "frankenfrogs"-menacing monsters intent on attacking them with jolts of electricity. The Creeps use their unique skills and smarts to evade the frankenfrogs and discover who is creating these terrifying creatures-and why. This action-packed graphic novel features a diverse set of characters who are comfortable in their own skins and demonstrate that science can be dangerous and fun. VERDICT A wide range of readers will tear through this well-written and zanily drawn book, and they will be eager to see what wild adventures the four friends will have in the next volume.-Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Four lovable misfits known collectively as the Creeps must save their school from hideous, electrified Frankenfrogs. At Pumpkin County Middle School, monsters are a commonplace occurrence. Four ethnically diverse students-bespectacled Carol, a genius computer hacker; fashionista Rosario, the muscle of the group; lanky Mitchell, the brainiac; and diminutive Jarvis, the gadget maven who fears nothing-bravely battle these nefarious beings with little fanfare. After a bout with a particularly messy pudding monster, the Creeps are assigned janitorial duty to give their overburdened custodian some relief. When they're sent to retrieve some frozen frogs for dissection and find the amphibian specimens missing, they know that they've stumbled on their next mystery. Suddenly the fearsome foursome find themselves not only dealing with reanimated frogs, but also navigating dirty sewer tunnels and battling disgruntled teachers, evil-genius science-fair flunkies, and animal-activist students; how will they be able to save the day? An excellent complement to his prose, Schweizer's cleanly paneled art is bright and busy, ever ready with a gag that helps blend the ghastly with the goofy, making his gang's antics reminiscent of Scooby Doo. Be sure to recommend this to fans of Jared Krosoczka's Lunch Lady series, who will certainly appreciate the similar humor. Silly fun with a smattering of science. (Graphic science fiction/humor. 7-11)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2015
Grades 3-5 Carol (hacker), Mitchell (monster expert), Jarvis (gadget whiz), and Rosario (superstrong fashionista) are known as the Creeps, at least by their not-so-nice classmates, and they solve mysteries at Pumpkins County Middle School. After wrecking the cafeteria while saving the school from a pudding monster, the friends get into trouble with the principal, who puts them on cleaning duty. More trouble starts when the other students in biology refuse to dissect frogs, and then the frogs all disappear from the storage room. When the Creeps investigate, they discover Frankenfrogs, which can zap them with electricity. The frogs start zapping and kidnapping students, but who is making the frogs, and why kidnap students? Schweizer has created a story with just enough icky, spooky action for middle-grade readers who want horror stories but don't want them too scary. His colorful, cartoonish art, full of exaggerated shadows and offbeat figures, makes the monstrous frogs look almost cute, even as they threaten the heroes. The mixed-gender, multicultural team guarantees that this series opener will appeal to a broad range of readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)