Twilight Zone for kids (and/or us adults who enjoy creepy things). I honestly wasn't expecting the level of spook I felt from a children's book, I loved it. I'd recommend for early elementary age kids, but I've introduced Aaron Reynold's books to my preschool class as young as 4 and they enjoy them with a bit of paraphrasing. Can't wait to add this book to the school's collection!

Having read several Jasper books with my kids, I was excited to see that there was a new story. This one manages to pull together the vibe of The Twilight Zone and Jasper.

Charlie gets sick and is told he needs his tonsils removed, but then they suddenly disappear before surgery. Where did they go? What is going on?

I might hold out reading this with my younger kid for a bit because it might worry him, but it would be better for slightly older elementary kiddos. I do have to say that I'm not sure I've ever read the word "glands" as much as I did in this. The illustrations were what we have come ylto expect for Jasper books!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

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This was a creepy AND funny read! Jasper Rabbit is back and this time his tonsils need to come out. But on the day of his surgery- his tonsils are gone!!! This book totally gave me Twilight Zone vibes.
If you haven’t read Jasper’s other books- “Creep Carrots”, “Creepy Pair of Underwear” and “Creepy Crayons”, you are missing out! My third graders love this series and my own children do too.
I recommend this book to everyone!! But definitely keep the lights on. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TroublingTonsils #AaronReynolds #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #JasperRabbit #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #SummerBooks #KidsChaperBook #BookAboutTonsils

Thanks to Netgally and Simon and Schuster Publishing for an advanced reading copy of this book. Troubling Tonsils will be released on September 2nd, 2025.

Readers who love Creepy Carrots will love this chapter book. Great for students ready for a beginning chapter book with not as many pictures; this book will have students laughing and wondering where those tonsils are and where they will show up and haunt next!

Aaron Reynolds does the Twilight Zone for kids. The perfect blend of creepy and funny. I cannot wait for more of this series.

I have always loved the Jasper Rabbit picture books so I was excited to find this new book is a chapter book. Perfect for my daughter! My 7 year old enjoyed it, and it was a quick read for her. She liked the spookiness and silliness of the story. She loved the imaginative nature of the story!

Give this one to those 7-8-year-old boys who hate to read. Fast, funny with just enough grossness factor to keep them engaged. Predictable from an adult standpoint but just right for those moving up from beginning readers to chapter books. Two sequels are hinted at at the end of the book.

Our protagonist, Charlie Marmot, has a problem. His tonsils are infected and need to come out. And what does this rascally little boy want to do afterwards? Show his swollen appendages to his fellow classmates, and gross them out! What better way to be the coolest kid son the class? But what happens when his tonsils disappear? He’s about to find out in the scariest way possible!

This was such a fun, cute, and creepy read. It’s very reminiscent of the twilight zone-providing a twist at the end of the story. The writing throughout the story gives an ominous feelings, and set the town for an unexpected departure. Any kids who loves a good spooky take will love this story. 4.5 stars.

Twilight Zone for kids.... absolutely loved this book! Aaron Reynolds does it again! I really think kids will get a good laugh out of this one...and teachers will hear the word "wads" more than they want to!

Jasper Rabbit is now telling the Creepy Stories sharing, Charlie Marmot's tale of the Troubling Tonsils! A fun and creepy tale as a companion series to the original Creepy Carrots.

My daughter and I love the Creepy Tales picture books. This book is a wonderful addition. I love the intro and outro from Jasper, to help tie it to the earlier books. We enjoyed hearing a creepy story from a different character. My daughter especially loved the aliens and the tonsils! She gives it 2 thumbs up.

As big fans of Creepy Carrots, my kiddos were eager to dive into this newest release from Aaron Reynolds.

My eight year old devoured this in less than an hour and is now grumpy because of the cliffhanger… it’s a good lesson in patience, ha! She loved the illustrations throughout and thought they did a great job of bringing the story to life.

My kiddos found the pacing to be great and the storytelling very engaging with Reynolds’ humor they’ve come to love. As stated before, their only complaint was the cliffhanger but they can’t wait to read the sequel and see what comes next!

Reynolds and Brown did not disappoint in this humorous chapter book. Each character has a distinct personality. Loved Jasper’s dad’s support of his unusual request for Dr. Burrows. Shorter chapters make this a good transition from picture books. The writing is witty. “Was this his big sister's idea of a prank? Flora did not possess a sense of humor that he was aware of, so it seemed unlikely.” Children will fall in love with Jasper all over again. At first, I was concerned about a mom giving their child a glass jar to carry to school but that’s an adult perspective and likely wouldn’t be a concern for kids. That my only issue with the story. Brown’s drawings are clever, as always. Loved Mom and Dr. Burrows examining Jasper’s tonsil-free mouth. Cannot wait to add this title to my school library spaces.

Troubling Tonsils! by Aaron Reynolds is a fun read perfect for fans that grew up with Jasper and his Creepy Companions. This short chapter book is perfect and fun way for emerging readers to connect to and learn about the process and reasons for having their tonsils removed and a way to gain empathy for "things" put into jars.

Huge thank you to the publisher and Aaron Reynolds for letting me read Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales) early—I was so pumped when I heard Jasper Rabbit was making the leap to chapter books!

My 4th and 5th graders are obsessed with the Creepy Carrots series, and this did not disappoint. Total 5-star read. This is the perfect mix of spooky and silly, and it’s a fantastic pick for younger readers or reluctant readers in upper elementary. Great for independent reading or a classroom read-aloud.

This one follows Charlie—who starts feeling off and ends up needing his tonsils removed. What should be a simple surgery gets real weird real fast… especially after the doctor agrees Charlie can bring his tonsils home in a jar. The dream sequences? Creepy. The buildup? Perfect. The ending? Twisty

Also—how did I just realize Peter Brown illustrates this series?! I read The Wild Robot every year and now I’ll never look at jars the same way again.

I love the fact that Aaron Reynolds is moving into transitional chapter books with a spooky/weird vibe for kids who graduated past Creepy Pair of Underwear/Creepy Crayons/Creepy Carrots. This is written in the vein of the Twilight Zone, complete with an introduction by Jasper Rabbit. I highly recommend this for young fans of scary stories that aren't too scary, and fans of Aaron Reynolds other Creepy books.

Highly recommended for schools and libraries!

I thought this book was okay. I got confused when there was a beaver in a picture, but no rabbit. My favorite part was when Jasper Rabbit appeared. I would read it again and recommend it to others!

Absolutely loved this new spinoff of the Creepy series picture books! I thought it couldn’t be as funny and suspenseful as those, but it was! It was humorous and just creepy enough that young readers will love it! I can’t wait to read it aloud with my students as we laugh out loud together once again to Jasper Rabbit’s creepy tales. Aaron Reynolds did it again and I hope he keeps these books coming!

Unbelievable! Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown teamed up to create the absolute dream team for Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales. This story puts a Twilight Zone style twist on a young marmot getting his tonsils removed. Not only will children become more familiar and comfortable with the idea of tonsil removal and why it may need to happen, but Reynolds wraps the whole story up with an entirely different lesson at the end about catching wild life in jars. This tale will have kids on the EDGE of their sit, and locked in to all of it’s gory gooey mystery. This is the perfect read aloud for spooky season, and I imagine a wonderful recommendation for reluctant young readers as it has a certain amount of edge to it. It treats its young readers seriously, while also being a total hoot. I will be buying several copies for my public library as it’s sure to fly off the shelves. I’ll personally be recommending it for years to come!

High quality writing and storytelling for children with STUNNINGLY spooky illustrations throughout. I can’t emphasize enough how LOST readers of all ages will be getting in this book, and BEGGING for more if being read aloud to and left on cliff hangers. This is such a great example of how much FUN stories and reading can be to get a struggling child hooked. Similarly, I think the silliness in this story can just as equally be applied to ease nerves around an upcoming surgery. It can add a fun spin to an otherwise unpleasant looming activity.

A good creepy book for elementary kids. At times, it seemed a bit long. Great illustrations!! Would be perfect for a child that enjoys the Creepy Tales series!