Monster High by Lisi Harrison

Reviewed by Jennifer

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: 4 exclamations of “OMG!”

Violence: A monster’s head comes unstitched and falls off.

Sexual Content: Several kisses.

Adult Themes: The “normal” people fear the monsters and are anxious to rid their society of them. The monsters are disguised and the normal people don’t even realize that they are already living peaceably together.

Synopsis

Frankie Stein is only 15 days old, but has been loaded with all the information and experiences a regular 15-year-old needs. She is the granddaughter of Victor Frankenstein with neck seams, bolts, green skin and all. Frankie loves her uniqueness, but her parents think it is far safer and wiser to hide her true identity with make-up since the “normies” do not want to live in harmony with the “monsters”. Frankie finds out the hard way that they are right.

Melodie Carver has just moved from Beverly Hills to Oregon and attends Merston High with Frankie. Of course Melodie doesn’t know that Frankie is a monster, and Frankie doesn’t know that Melodie used to be ugly, that is until her plastic surgeon father fixed her nose. Melodie and Frankie just want to be liked for who they really are, not for how they appear on the outside. Brought together by a boy, can these two very different girls actually become friends?

While not what I would call great literature, Monster High was an easy, fun read. I liked Frankie and Melodie and thought that their story was able to address the issue of judging others based on outward appearances, but not in a heavy handed way, just in a fun and cute way. There are plenty of references to pop culture, fashion, music and movies which make the book very current, but also quickly dated. I guess that can be a positive or a negative, depending on your point of view. A light, entertaining read that will appeal to tweens, young teens and also reluctant readers. This is the first in the Monster High series.