THE MONSTERS OF MARYMOUNT MANSION

In Allen’s chapter book, a little basement-dwelling monster hopes to find acceptance in the human world.

There’s a secret in the basement of the 150-year-old Marymount Mansion, and only the septuagenarian owner, Celeste, knows what it is: families of monsters live there. Celeste is their friend, keeping them safe from discovery (they do attend her Halloween party every year, since her guests assume they’re wearing costumes). But 8-year-old monster Toby, who has “furry green skin” and smells like cotton candy, wants to see more of the world outside the basement. (Goodwin’s cartoony black-and-white spot illustrations accompany the text here and there, with Toby depicted as a bucket-shaped figure with froggy eyes and skinny legs.) There are a few inconsistencies in its messaging, but this fantasy story offers a fanciful and compassionate approach to being “different.” Young readers will root for the courageous Toby as curiosity about the human world drives his quest to be free to be himself there, convinced that “we should be able to get along with others who aren’t exactly like us.” His courage and curiosity lead to him befriending a huge, lonely monster, so different that he even scares other monsters, and to an outing trick-or-treating and fitting in with costumed human kids. The narrative balances Toby’s good experiences with a scary encounter with a teenage human bully, followed by the little monster’s confidence-building realization that humans have many differences, too, from skin colors to the glasses some of them wear and the way they dress. Celeste is a bit problematic in her role as the monsters’ affectionate protector: She brings them cookies, considers them family, and attends their weddings and births, yet leaves their basement home “dark and dank” and short on “elbow room” (elsewhere, the basement is inconsistently described as big enough to have areas that Toby’s family never explored, including the lair of Toby’s sad, giant monster friend).

Despite some contradictory plot details, a message of empathy is delivered with quirky charm.