THEODORA HENDRIX AND THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CURSED BEETLE

A human child in England helps the undead and supernatural creatures who raised her confront a threat to all organized monsterdom.

As if a sour new head teacher who seems bent on forcing her expulsion isn’t trouble enough for light-skinned, redheaded 10-year-old Theodora, the sudden arrival of imperious Inspector Mary Shelley and sneering Ratsputin, her snake-tailed rodent sidekick, cranks up the tension at home—otherwise known as the London branch of the Monstrous League of Monsters. Kopy populates her work with a variety of creatures, from motherly Mummy the mummy and house dad Dracula to Sherman the talking tarantula, Goldie the giant human-headed cobra, and gargoyles named Bob and Sally. In keeping with the light overall tone, Theodora is perfectly at ease among all the creepy characters, and in Jevons’ many black-and-white illustrations they look more cartoonish than frightening. The humor even takes a sly turn when Goldie hints at the precise kind of monster that Shelley is with the observation that, while not all monsters are authors, the opposite may not be true. Proving that she is as capable of tackling an evil home invader with keen martial arts moves as she is organizing a festive Halloween fair for the community, Mummy is the hero of this second series entry. But Theodora joins Dexter, her Nigerian British classmate who has a stutter, and others in a successful act of civil disobedience at school, offering her a chance to shine, too.

Monstrous but with a wink.