The illustrations are fabulous. This dracula channels Coppola's Dracula into a child friendly format, complete with a cast of characters including Yetis, werewolves, monster spiders, and creature from the black lagoon! The cover simply sucks you in, pun intended, and the illustrations throughout are just beautiful. I think it's adorable and an excellent option for juvenile and adult readers, but particularly fitting for kids who want books that are scary yet won't result in nightmares!

Perfect book for LKS2, cute illustrations and a non-scary horror story about Dracula and his grandchildren.

I loved this book! The illustrations and story seem a little more advanced and ibthinknare best suited for children over 5 years old. Grandpa bat has so many good stories he tells his grand babies like most real grandpas do. I loved the bat and “dad humor” as well. The illustrations were so beautiful, there were some pages I wish had more illustration since this is for kids and the pictures keep the kids who can’t read captivated to listen. I also hope there will be more books in this style! Thank you Netgalley for the review copy, my review and opinion are my own.

Very original take on Count Dracula! Loved the “tell-all” memoir style of this book. I especially loved the drawings, honestly the art could be in its own book. I’d buy this fir the vampire loving child in my life.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received.

This was, hands down, absolutely adorable.
There were cute and imaginative twists to Dracula legend mixed with some relatable humour for younger readers.
Honestly, I would still recommend this to adults who just need a bit of a laugh or a smile added to their day.
There wasn't just the surface cuteness though, there were some great messages for kids on themes of kindness, acceptance and that 'different' doesn't mean 'bad'.

The illustrations were absolutely spooky and charming as well!

Absolutely adorably illustrations join the story of Dracula babysitting his grandkids and sharing some of the stories from his past.
Lots of other characters from the old horror folklore turn up to interest young confident readers in these cute stories, these are not split up into short stories for bedtimes, though the chapters do have sensible pausing points within.
Set in current day with a grumpy teenager and intrigued younger children learning a different side to their grandfather and the races/monsters he talks about. A nice introduction to these beloved horror characters, as well as gently discussing not trusting all information you are told and focusing on the concept of older families existing and having full fledged lives before the children themselves were born.

We open with Grandad Vlad babysitting his 3 grandchildren. I did enjoy their different personalities, they really suited their ages perfectly. I loved that they’d found an old photo album and it introduces all these tales from Vlads hundreds of years. I think multiple small stories usually work really well for bed time, it allows parents and children to pick one a night in order to complete a larger book.

Firstly this book cover immediately drew me in, it’s gorgeous. I would’ve picked this up as a little girl. The illustrations throughout this book shine honestly, I definitely wouldn’t have carried on reading without them. They pictured our characters perfectly. They were horror but adorable all in one bundle. I love that the vampires were furry little bags. Perfect for children.

This is where I got a little confused. The pictures and general vibe almost point to an age range of 6-8 years, but the sheer amount of text just doesn’t match that. The text I would say is more 8-10 years but again, I think a lot of the parts I enjoyed would go straight over their heads and become boring? So I think it’s geared towards parents reading it to children. It was just a very wordy book, lots of block text that I personally couldn’t have read in one sitting (especially in red!).

Basically I think this book could’ve been perfect if it had stuck to either side of that age bracket. So I personally wanted MORE illustrations, I loved the ones that took over more than one page, the layouts looked so intriguing with illustrations. We needed more story driven illustrations on every page. There was far too much dialogue in my opinion. I understand the need to break up all the red story text, but the bickering between the grandchildren was just as lengthy and made the book long. It needed to be balanced a little better. If aimed at the older end, I just think it could’ve been darker, and more action packed, more funny. I think it would’ve been better as a going back in time type retelling without the grandchildren’s dialogue breaking up the picture in my mind.

I do LOVE the ideas within this, I would just struggle to recommend it to either age bracket at the moment. I work in primary (age 4-11) and I think I’d struggle to know where to place this. I will say I LOVE the characters and their messages. I like that the female yeti wanted to be a ballerina. I like not judging someone by their looks or the stereotype surrounding them.
I’m sad that Van Helsing was kind of just written off, I think he could've been a great addition, but also understand that he is maybe overdone in Dracula stories.

Overall, not a bad book. I’m sure children would enjoy the imagery and some of the funny story parts in small doses. Parents will also get some enjoyment out of reading this too. It just not quite there. More imagery to break up that hefty text and more refinement would’ve made this a 4+ read.

Memento Monstrum is a terrifically charming story suitable for children of all ages. Cute, funny, and thoroughly heartwarming, it more than delivers on the promise of its concept and cover art.

I would have absolutely adored this book when I was a little kid whose heart held equal space for cuteness and all things spooky. As an adult whose tastes in children's fiction have held steady throughout the decades, I found it utterly delightful--and got, perhaps, more of the references than I would have as a little kid. The best children's books often contain a few morsels aimed at keeping adults from getting bored while reading out loud; here one may find nods to the iconic Universal horror films, ballet legends, classic literature, spy thrillers, and music ranging from The Beatles to 21st-century East Asian pop. For all that, Memento Monstrum never loses sight of its primary audience, and I think that plenty of kids would find it a hilariously satisfying read.

Highly recommended for all who seek something adorable and witty to gift or read to the children in their lives.

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The striking cover drew me in and the illustrations are gorgeous. Both the dialogue and premise are quite clever. This really flips the script which I enjoyed. I would love more descriptive sentences of each setting especially as the stories jump from place to place.

A great story for young confident readers. What happens when Grandpa Dracula has to look after his grandchildren? Well, he has a wealth of stories about his encounters with other 'monsters' over the last 400 years, but mainly about his ongoing battles with the vampire hunter Van Helsing. What a fantastic story, it introduces this type of book to young readers, without being scary and brings a humour to the characters that will make them want to keep on reading.

Such a cute, fun book! Full of positive messages and a bit of humor, kids will enjoy reading about Dracula’s life as he tells the stories to his grandchildren. I enjoyed the unique spin on VanHelsing, and his ineptitude in killing Dracula. The artwork was an added bonus and very well done!

I am in love with this book. This warm and fun book is a "memoir" of Vlad Dracula. This book is the memoir of Vlad Dracula who is now 600 years old and must watch his 3 grandchildren for the weekend while his wife and daughter go to Paris for a spa and shopping weekend. In the illustrations, Vlad and his grandchildren are drawn as cute furry vampire bats instead of the threatening vampire we think of at Halloween time.

The grandkids are fun. The oldest is a boy in his early teens who is always on his phone or playing video games. The middle child thrives on arguing with her brother. And the youngest is smart and spunky and asks lots of questions just like any 5 year old would. Very relatable to any home with multiple children.

Vlad’s grandchildren find an old photo album and ask him about some of the pictures inside and he in turn tells him stories about his life, like most grandpas do, right? His stories include things like, the time he fell in love with a Yeti, how his childhood pet fish came to fall in love with a huge spider, what kind of clandestine work he did with a mummy, and a story about how he influenced one of the most famous bands in history (I won’t tell you who it is but it rhymes with needle"..

And one of the things I found fun and innovative about the story is that Van Helsing from the Dracula book is in this story but Van Helsing in this is a little crazed to kill Vlad but can’t ever achieve his goal. It reminded me of the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons or Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny. Van Helsing is inept and Vlad always outsmarts him. Vlad is more of the good guy and Van Helsing the fanatic.

There are some affirming messages planted in here too like not assuming things about groups of people because of stereotypes. So not all vampires are bad and we shouldn’t be scared of them just because that is the way they are portrayed in film and movies. Or that your size doesn’t determine your skill. In the book the Yeti is female and she wants to be a ballerina and she tries out for the Ballet in Paris and the director says she is the best ballerina she has but they want to shave all her fur and put her in girdles to make her conform to a ballerina expectation.

I would say this book is for ages 8 and up. It has pictures but not on every page but its more advanced than an early chapter book. It’s a good one for kids to read with their parents. And its great because there is a lot of references that parents will get that will simply go over kids heads like Van helsing and the rock band. So there are multiple layers to it. Just like great kids movies that can entertain both kids and adults like Aladinn.

My review will be broadcast via my podcast "The Perks of Being a Book Lover" in August.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I sat down with my 5 year old but the book was more suited to an older child. Since neither of us has much knowledge of Count Dracula, the insider jokes meant nothing to us. The book was lengthy. It had beautiful pictures but not enough pictures to hold a 5 year old’s attention span. I think it would be loved by an older child.

This was such a fun book, I loved all of Vlad's stories and how excited his grandchildren were to hear them. I loved that every story about a friend could be read individually or you could read the book in one sitting.

I thought the ending was especially cute, I loved the gift that Rhesus gave his grandpa.

The illustrations in this book were fun and engaging. The stories included some fantastic monsters and I think kids will really enjoy this book.

This was an adorable take on the Dracula story. Just as toothy but with a lot less blood (although there is still a little of that to be had too). This charming book follows Count Dracula recounting tales of his monstrous friends to his three Grandchildren. He tells of how he met and befriended a Yeti, a fish with legs, a Mummy & a Werewolf...and The Beatles were thrown in there for good measure. The illustrations were beautiful, so colourful and cute. The character's were so imaginative, It was a lovely read and I'd highly recommend for those parents with children that like a little of the unusual stuff.

A rich collection of spooky-sweet fairy tales, packed with mysterious—but lovable—creatures in fantastic situations.

This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters are amazing and the story flows so well. Really cannot recommend this one enough!!

I totally snagged this on a whim because the cover was absolutely adorable. I've been in the mood for some light-hearted and fun reads this last month, and this totally hit the mark. So glad I was able to snag this through NetGalley.

While the cover art drew me to this book it was the plot that had me clicking 'Read Now'. I love a good monster story, particularly one with good monsters, and that's exactly what this book is. Yes, the book is about Vlad Dracula, but the not back alley, tricking young maidens Vlad. This is grandpa Vlad being stuck with his grandkids for the weekend and unsure how that'll work.

This was a super cute story about a weekend spent with Grandpa while he told stories of his past. Vlad's just happens to be filled with vampire hunters, mummies, and a Yeti! It's the perfect bedtime book with a different story for every night, that ends with two mortal enemies becoming friends.

I thought this was a lot of fun and read it a couple of chapters every night. The story was easy to follow along but moved fairly quickly. Each chapter has its only a little more about not judging a book by its cover, or how sometimes friends move away. It also adds a few Easter Eggs for adult readers, the Beatles chapter was one of my favorites.

Also, the artwork was so cute. The little bugs on each page corner because the photo album, and castle, are old. All the polaroids so you know what each new friend, and creature, looks like. Even some beautifully done scenery from the places Vlad was visiting.

Memento Monstrum was absolutely adorable, and will available on October 5 of this year. It would be a great spooky season read!

When I finally found a readable format to review this book it's layout was great, the illustrations were gorgeous but with that being said, this book wasn't really what I was expecting and at times it felt like a little bit of a slog to get through it but maybe it just wasn't the right time for me. The premise was cute and as I said the illustrations were amazing but the story just wasn't quite for me.
I can imagine that it would appeal to so many others though who will love it through and through.

A pleasant enough read for the right audience, but I didn't find this was nearly as great as the lavish look of it all suggested. Vlad Dracula has been ordered to babysit his three grandchildren, in the course of which an old photo album of his is found, which inspires him telling them (and us) episodes of his life. First is how he stumbles on "Ms Yeti", and with love in his heart gets her to achieve her ambition of becoming a ballet dancer. A fish-man-monster thing is next, that starts out as an unwanted pet of Vlad before becoming so much more. The last extended flashback is always going to feature a werewolf, as counter to the grandson's violent mobile game.

The look of the piece, as I say, is superb – lots of pointless little illustrations to brighten up the page, but when a full image is called for we get something quite marvellous. It's just the writing cannot match that. The grandchildren don't need to bicker nearly as much as they do, and all the framing devices and interjections could be skimmed. Also, the stories are a bit basic and in need of a trim – the yeti piece is of course about acceptance, body-shaming, whatever, the second a bit of a mish-mash but with more or less the same 'see the real human beneath the monster exterior' kind of moral, and so it goes.

Throughout there are glimpses of what this could have been – there's a nice slice of this world's mythology in the creation of the fish-man-monster, and some great allusions to real-life people and other characters from fiction we know and love. But sometimes these mentions of people from our world seem to be there in the same way that animation films feel the need to give a yuck for the grandparents now and again – they'd sail over the heads of this read's target audience. And having this kind of Van Helsing here is really annoying – causing the third story, that should have taken us nicely into the world of old Universal horror films, to end up as slapstick. Ultimately, I would want every book to have some of the eye-candy style this manages, but the text is such an underachievement I can't exactly say I could recommend it. It's worth a browse, but would never be a priority purchase.