The little monsters of Skull River City have scary names and odd looks but they also behave like normal kids, and it’s this great balance of behaviour young readers can identify with and an exciting, death-defying plot that makes this such a successful graphic novel.

In place of playground stalwart four-square, the six friends play Skullball. They hang out at the Headless horseman diner and order Chocolate Bloodshakes with whipped ghost cream topped with eyeballs. And though they might have foreboding names like Gretel Ghoul and Vampire Vince, they are real friends and provide reassurance to each other with good messages about celebrating difference and looking out for each other. But let’s not forget that they’re also on a mission – to solve the mystery of the recent theft at the blood bank, which leads them to the malevolent Great Mosquito King!

This is an ideal book for children who are growing in confidence with their reading but prefer plenty of visual elements and not too much text. That said, there is as much text as an early chapter book, it’s just cleverly disguised amongst the quirky illustrations. Ideal for ages 6-10.

Emily Gale