Beware the cucuy? Not when he’s this undeniably cool.
In this spinoff from Higuera and Perdomo’s picture-book series, a curious boogeyman must frighten his first child or else risk losing what he wants most—to belong.
A class of newly hatched monsters heads toward the Abyss of Horror, where each budding cucuy, cuca, and cuco (creatures from Latin American folklore) will receive their first assignments—a mischievous human child to keep in line. One diminutive, lonely cucuy feels quite unprepared indeed. Neglecting to scare his human into good behavior means being banished to the Forest of Failure, with its clean air, sweet smells, and colorful flowers. The horror! But success means getting a name and an appointed Clump, a group to belong to. Our hero attempts to scare his assigned child, Latine-cued Ramón, but the preoccupied niño is more worried about the prospect of attending a new school. Intrigued by the human world, the cucuy helps Ramón navigate first-day jitters. This leisurely paced tale keenly captures the anxieties of being the new kid by drawing explicit parallels between the characters. Tantalizing bits of monstrous worldbuilding and humor derived from the little cucuy’s befuddled fascination with the human realm elevate the story to exuberant heights. Imbued with pops of purple, Perdomo’s monochrome artwork winningly portrays both worlds, with an adorable little cucuy at the center of it all.
Beware the cucuy? Not when he’s this undeniably cool. (Fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781419777424
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair.
Fifth graders get into a hairy situation.
After an unnamed narrator’s full-page warning, readers dive right into a Wolver Hollow classroom. Mr. Noffler recounts the town legend about how, every Oct. 19, residents don fake mustaches and lock their doors. As the story goes, the late Bockius Beauregard was vaporized in an “unfortunate black powder incident,” but, somehow, his “magnificent mustache” survived to haunt the town. Once a year, the spectral ’stache searches for an exposed upper lip to rest upon. Is it real or superstition? Students Parker and Lucas—sole members of the Midnight Owl Detective Agency—decide to take the case and solve the mustache mystery. When they find that the book of legends they need for their research has been checked out from the library, they recruit the borrower: goth classmate Samantha von Oppelstein. Will the three of them be enough to take on the mustache and resolve its ghostly, unfinished business? Whether through ridiculous plot points or over-the-top descriptions, the comedy keeps coming in this first title in McGee’s new Night Frights series. A generous font and spacing make this quick-paced, 13-chapter story appealing to newly confident readers. Skaffa’s grayscale cartoon spot (and occasional full-page) illustrations help set the tone and accentuate the action. Though neither race or skin color is described in the text, images show Lucas and Samantha as light-skinned and Parker as dark-skinned.
Lighthearted spook with a heaping side of silliness—and hair. (maps) (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8089-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit.
Eleven-year-old Maria Russo helps her charlatan mother hoodwink customers, but Maria has a spirited secret.
Maria’s mother, the psychic Madame Destine, cons widows out of their valuables with the assistance of their apartment building’s super, Mr. Fox. Madame Destine home-schools Maria, and because Destine is afraid of unwanted attention, she forbids Maria from talking to others. Maria is allowed to go to the library, where new librarian Ms. Madigan takes an interest in Maria that may cause her trouble. Meanwhile, Sebastian, Maria’s new upstairs neighbor, would like to be friends. All this interaction makes it hard for Maria to keep her secret: that she is visited by Edward, a spirit who tells her the actual secrets of Madame Destine’s clients via spirit writing. When Edward urges Maria to help Mrs. Fisher, Madame Destine’s most recent mark, Maria must overcome her shyness and her fear of her mother—helping Mrs. Fisher may be the key to the mysterious past Maria uncovers and a brighter future. Alas, picture-book–creator Ford’s middle-grade debut is a muddled, melodramatic mystery with something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel: In addition to the premise, there’s a tragically dead father, a mysterious family tree, and the Beat poets. Sluggish pacing; stilted, unrealistic dialogue; cartoonishly stock characters; and unattractive, flat illustrations make this one to miss. Maria and Sebastian are both depicted with brown skin, hers lighter than his; the other principals appear to be white.
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit. (author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 7-10)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20567-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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