Monster High

Frankie Stein is super lovable. :)

About Monster High Novel by Lisi Harrison
Actually I was really excited and looking forward to read this book, for I am a huge fan of the original doll collection and mini-series by Mattel – www.monsterhigh.com.
Now that I finally read the first book I'm quite torn.
Warning! Contains Spoilers!
Lisi Harrison tells the story of two girls quite the opposite of each other but actually trying to achieve the same thing – being accepted the way they are.
Frankie Stein, the daughter of Victor and Viveka and granddaughter of the (in)famous Frankenstein, 15 days old and already going to Merston High where she has to hide her awesome mint-green monstrous- and voltageness with makeup to mingle with the normies.
Melody Carver on the other hand had only one dream all her life. Singing. But due to her severe asthma-problems that dream was soon over, as well as her confidence. Even the nose-job she finally allowed her dad to do on her changed nothing really. Sure, people accepted her now, but it felt shallow as shallow as she felt. So moving from Beverly Hills to Salem, Oregon for a change of air seemed like a good idea to everyone in the family.
So it wouldn't be high school and it surely wouldn't be worth a story if the usually confident Frankie, who feels shy under her cover of normie-colored makeup, wouldn't actually finds friends who are part of the RADs – Regular Attribute Dodger - as well, and shy Melody wouldn't fall in love with the curdly neighbor boy Jackson who has some unknown secrets as well.
It all gets pretty hot and dangerously exciting when the school plans a Monster Mash themed dance party and the RAD-youth feels quite offended but what their parents thought them ‘Hide with Pride'. All except Frankie who wants to let the normies know that - Yes there are monsters around; and No, they aren't dangerous. Which is why she and her friends turn up just the way they are – vampire, mummy, werewolf and sea monster;
I won't tell you the end for there isn't much of an end but an unnerving cliffhanger that makes almost everyone screaming for more.

Here I want mention some concerns:
I started reading this book expecting Monster High, like real Monster High, but instead I am confronted with normie-high and poor monsters why try to hide. Well it seems I have to watch Summer in Transylvania to have the monsters out of their caves, lagoons, coffins and what so ever, or stick with the online mini-series.
And while the monsters are all pretty much based on the old movies I must say that Dr. Frankenstein was human and not the green monster, that's the one he created. You can look that one up in Mary Shellys Frankenstein (maybe even Lisi Harrison should do so).
Another concern is that the author tried to fill the book with hip stuff, but only one and a half years later it's not. Maybe it will be retro in fifteen years or so. Or my nieces will come to me and ask “Who the hell is Justin Bieber” and “What are those series called Gossip Girls and Glee?”
One positive thing there is to say though: Reading is important for young people and it seems to get more difficult every generation to get kids interested in books, but with these novels and Mattel marketing the dolls it's at least a small accomplishment to make young girls want to read at least a bit, so one good thing at last.

I picked this up wanting it to be cute, fun, and full of clever references to B-movie horror monsters. It's pretty insipid, though.