  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/15/2018 It starts out as a typical day for Oliver James. He goes to school and stays late for band practice, but while he stands at the bus stop, something strange happens. The cheerful scene of kids waiting with their instruments evaporates in a page turn, as the full moon shines down on fleeing silhouettes, an abandoned backpack and trumpet, and a werewolf holding drumsticks. Unaware of his transformation—it is his first, after all—Oliver James eventually catches sight of his fanged, hairy reflection in a puddle. And he is thrilled! Captured in a moonlit palette of purple, orange-brown, black, and yellow, he revels in his new “super” abilities (speed, strength, sense of smell), zipping around town and inadvertently scaring everyone he meets. Frith (Hello, Mr. Dodo!, 2017) knows how to make kids laugh, and here he accomplishes this by playing with readers’ expectations. Despite the inherent coolness of his condition, Oliver James worries how his parents will react when they see him, but Frith has another twist in the works that will leave readers howling. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. School Library Journal - 07/01/2018 PreS-Gr 2—Young Oliver must hurriedly return home after band practice because his mother is serving dinner at six o'clock sharp. Under a bright, full moon, Oliver, who has brown skin and black curly hair, waits at the bus stop with his friends. Suddenly, everyone flees, and Oliver is left alone. Unbeknownst to Oliver, he has become werewolf, albeit a friendly-looking one. Oliver quickly comprehends his transformation after viewing his reflection in a puddle and to his amazement he discovers that he can now run super-fast, leap super-high, demonstrate super-strength and utilize a super-sense of smell. As he excitedly runs through the city, Oliver unintentionally scares pedestrians and patrons with his werewolf appearance. When Oliver remembers his promise to return by dinner time, he speeds home, but is nervous about how his parents will react to his transformation. But when he walks in the door, he receives a surprise of his own. The text flows nicely, but Frith's detailed, retro artwork, is the book's greatest strength. It will certainly remind some of a long-gone era, but it feels fresh and is ultimately successful. VERDICT A clever and amusing read-aloud, especially for very young children who think they want a scary story.—Emily Patti, Racine Public Library, WI - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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