Monster School, written by Kate Coombs, showcases a group of very unusual students. There’s a multicultural monster with purple hair and three scaly tails, a vampire who doesn’t like homework, a skateboarding pumpkin head, and more. Each has a poem about what it’s like to live their lives; which are similar in many ways to students everywhere, but with a twist. For instance, Compare and Contrast starts with these lines:

Ms. Blackhurst is a banshee.

She has burning eyes.

She gets mad a lot.

When she does, she screams

like horrible dreams

in a voice that’s filled with rot.

The collection of poems makes a great book to read at Halloween; it’s humorous, and the characters experience a range of activities and emotions. Lee Gatlin’s illustrations are whimsical and lighthearted, and they go well with the poetry. I recommend Monster School for readers aged 5 to 8.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.