Monsters in the Attic - Hardcover

Regan, Dian Curtis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805037098 ISBN 13: 9780805037098

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1995

Synopsis

Enjoying her Monster of the Month Club subscription, Rilla Harmony Earth is horrified when the resurgence of a dark magic brings her stuffed toy monsters to life, and she must hide the little beasts from a psychic.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7?The idea of being a member of the Monster of the Month Club and receiving a "cozy collectible" that has the potential of coming to life during certain star alignments is the only thing that keeps this rambling story alive. Rilla Harmony Earth lives in the attic of her mother and aunt's natural-food bed-and-breakfast. As the summer begins, her adventures include her sometimes secretly alive and puckish plush toys, her crush on fellow homeschooler Joshua, her dealings with various guests (especially the psychic Mother Lazuli), and her quest for the identity of her father. Monsters (even if the mermaid and the bluebird aren't particularly monstrous) is a good concept, but Regan doesn't make readers care about the hollow people (kids or crazy adults) or the childlike creatures. Some of the situations?like hiding a rambunctious monster from spying eyes?are humorous, but the antics are all pretty tame. There's something here about making a commitment to taking care of people and pets, but the erratic lives of the monsters somehow beg the issue.?John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4^-6. Thirteen-year-old Rilla Harmony Earth doesn't have a care in the world (apart from worrying that her one true love, Joshua Banks, won't notice the new hairstyle she's about to attempt) until a well-meaning friend gives her a gift membership in the Monster of the Month Club, and the "cozy collectibles" come to life in her attic bedroom. The monster story line provides some hilarious scenes as Rilla struggles to keep the monsters fed and out of sight, but the book's two subplots prove to be more interesting, particularly the one involving "The Forbidden Topic" --the father who abandoned Rilla before she was even born. This is not a scary book, as the title implies; rather, it's a quirky coming-of-age story that is often funny, sometimes sad, and always on target when describing the behavior of younger teens. Lauren Peterson

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0805037098
• ISBN 13: 9780805037098
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 178
• Illustrator: Cornell Laura