I originally thought this was a picture book but I'm excited that it's an early chapter book! There are definitely elements that will go over kids' heads, but it has a lot of the same appeal as the other creepy books. I hope they release this as a combined print and audio book.

I (and my students) love all the creepy books by Aaron Reynolds featuring Jasper Rabbit. While I enjoyed this early chapter book, the ending was missing something for me. Typically, in the creepy picture books everything ends up ok in the end. That wasn’t the case in this book and it felt like it ended abruptly. At the elementary level, I wonder if students would be upset by the ending. With how much my students love the picture books, I will still definitely add this to my elementary library!

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!

If your household is anything like mine, you already know and love Creepy Carrots, Creepy Pair of Underwear, and Creepy Crayon! So when I heard Jasper Rabbit was getting his very own chapter book spin-off series—where he tells creepy stories—I absolutely had to get my hands on it.

This one was a hit! 🦷 In Troubling Tonsils, a marmot discovers his tonsils may be more trouble than they’re worth… and it’s every bit as silly, spooky, and clever as you’d hope. My daughter was hooked from the first page, full of questions and giggles. Bonus? She now knows what tonsils actually do! 👏🏼

This book is such a great balance of funny and eerie with just the right amount of spookiness for young readers. And of course, Peter Brown’s illustrations are the perfect mix of creepy-cute. 🎨 If your kids enjoy slightly spooky stories with humor and heart, this is one to add to your shelf—though sensitive readers might want to steer clear.

We’re already counting down to the next creepy tale!

Troubling tonsils is a classic Jasper Rabbit story, just a little bit longer than usual. Fans of the Creepy Carrots series will gobble it up. A great next step for those who are looking to move from picture books to chapter books, or to tempt those who are reluctant to make that move.

A fun, very short cautionary chapter book for fans of Reynolds's other "Creepy" books!

It's October, and Charlie Marmot has a sore throat. A trip to the doctor reveals an infection in his tonsils. But before his scheduled surgery to have them removed, strange things start happening.... The reader is left to figure out the mystery.

Jasper Rabbit first came to life in Aaron Reynolds' book Creepy Carrots, a hilarious and gently scary story about a rabbit being haunted by carrots. Jasper Rabbit was a hit, and two more books followed: Creepy Pair of Underwear! and Creepy Crayon. All were illustrated by Peter Brown, who did a marvelous job with a limited color palette. I loved these funny-scary picture books, so when I saw that a new book, titled Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales: Trouble Tonsils, I requested a review copy from NetGalley. Troubling Tonsils is not a picture book but a chapter book with 88 pages. Jasper Rabbit is only mentioned as the collector of this tale. He doesn't appear in the story. Troubling Tonsils is about Charlie Marmot. When Charlie Marmot needs to have his tonsils removed, he asks if he can keep them in a jar. The doctor agrees but when the day of Charlie's surgery comes, the tonsils are missing. They're just gone. Or are they?

This book is intended for independent readers, not for an adult and a child to read together. The mix of humor and spookiness is different as well. It's still a goofy story, but it does not have a happy ending. Most children will be able to laugh this off, but sensitive, imaginative children may be truly spooked by it. Parents should use their judgment on whether a child is ready to move on from the picture books to the slightly darker chapter book.
The writing and art are still high quality, but I admit to being a little disappointed. I prefer the silliness of the picture books to Troubling Tonsils. But that's just my preference. Lovers of spooky and funny books will be eager to get their hands on Troubling Tonsils. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing a review copy.

This book perfectly eases picture book fans of Creepy Carrots into the world of chapter books in the horror genre.

If you missed the one-paragraph introduction on the front of the book, just before the author bios, the reader will not realize who is narrating the tale or how Peter Rabbit and Charlie Marmot are connected. This could have been woven into the beginning of the book, even through just one illustration.

Many funny lines will make readers chuckle throughout the book, even if they are scared. The ending is a cliffhanger, leaving the reader wondering what will happen to Charlie Marmot. Real horror! Perfect!!

Thanks, Netgally, and the publisher, for the copy to read. This is my honest review. I'm a big fan of Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown.

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 in 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 tone for an unexpected departure. Any kid who loves a good spooky take will love this story. 4.5 stars.

I was having so much fun with this story that I was telling my adult daughter about it, and I couldn't stop laughing. Charlie Marmot is having trouble with his tonsils so he has to see the doctor. The first funny thing was that he wanted to keep his tonsils in a jar, but then very odd things happened, like waking up on the day of scheduled surgery with his tonsils gone!
This adorable little chapter book is just the right amount of creepy and funny.

Charlie Marmot has to have his tonsils removed. He comes up with a plan to save them in a jar! He can bring them into school, show them off, and gross out a bunch of classmates. The night before his surgery, Charlie starts hearing weird slurping sounds at night keeping him awake. Then, just before his surgery takes place, he finds out his tonsils are already gone!! How could this be? Peter Brown’s black and white illustrations add to the creepy vibe.


THOUGHTS: This new series by the creators of the Creepy Trilogy is perfect for the next level of readers. Creepy, but too scary, my 1st and 2nd graders will eat this new series up!

I’m thrilled to see chapter book options for the Jasper Rabbit series! Even though jasper himself isn’t featured here (not going to lie, I had to Google what a marmot is, and they’re actually very cute), fans of the Creepy picture books will be excited to keep up with the film noir-style illustrations and delightfully funny and creepy stories as they move into reading more challenging books.

I have many students who are desperate for scary stories but aren’t yet ready for Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. This is a perfect stepping stone for them. I can’t wait to share this for the Halloween season this year.

⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Quick Summary (Spoiler-Free!)
If your kid loved “Creepy Carrots! Jasper Rabbits Creepy Tales” then they are going to love this new book. This is a Chapter book, but still has the fun creepy tales and some pictures of what the kids love.

In this story we follow Charlie Marmot, who went from great to swollen tonsils and is in need of surgery. When he tells the doctor he wants to keep his Tonsils in a jar after the surgery, strange things begin to happen. Creepy Things.

What My Kids Loved:
Favorite element #1 “The pictures are so funny.” Both my younger kids loved the illustrations throughout the books..

Favorite element #2 My oldest actually love the story. He’s 12 so finding a book that he enjoys is typically hard. But he said this book was great, and would like to read it again.

Favorite element #3 The kids loved the ending! They kept guessing on what had happened to Charlie, and the ending caught them by surprise.

Final Thoughts:
This book was fantastic. My kids loved the humor, illustrations, and the crazy ending. We can't wait to buy this book when it comes out and add it to our collection of Jasper the Rabbit books.

I am so glad Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales are expanding into early chapter books. The students LOVE the series so far, and I am sure they will enjoy this one as well.
Charlie Marmot’s infected tonsils need to be removed. As scary as that sounds, the prospect of ice cream sounds better. And the idea to store his tonsils in a jar to share at school! This story takes the reader on a journey. What happens with those infected tonsils?

This book is outstanding and sure to please fans of the Creepy Crayon as they grow and become readers themselves. It is humorous, a little spooky but not too scary. This book is sure to be a hit as readers can come up with their own theories about Charlie and his troubling tonsils.

This is a silly addition to the Aaron Reynolds books. I read it with my daughter who likes his other books and she liked that this one had chapters. She thought it was creepy, but fun.
A good book for early readers who like Aaron Reynolds.

My preschool class was SO EXCITED when I read this to them! I was “super cool” for getting the copy early and getting to share with them! Love love love this author, and my class already loves Creepy Carrots!

As huge fans of Aaron Reynolds's previous children's stories, Creepy Carrots!, Creepy Pair of Underwear!, and Creepy Crayon!, my son and I went into reading Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales: Troubling Tonsils! looking forward to the same sort of book, although now with chapters for higher-level readers. And while we have always been fans of Jasper Rabbit, this book does not feature Jasper per se but rather Charlie Marmot, who is due to undergo a tonsillectomy for infected tonsils.

We liked Charlie Marmot, but how he relates to Jasper isn't entirely clear. Are they school friends? And for us, this story didn't deliver, in my opinion. While the previous books ended with a little bit of creepy still leaking in, all-in-all, Jasper comes out all right in the end. In this book, Charlie does not, and it felt like the story ended suddenly without a satisfactory ending. We were a bit disappointed, and the creepy level seems to have upped its ante from Jasper's stories. Was that intended by the author, given the audience for reading this story are higher-level readers and theoretically can stand a little more horror than say younger children? Im not sure, but we ended up feeling bad for Charlie and a little confused about whether he deserved his fate - and does he ever get out to resume his life before the "tonsillectomy."

2.75 stars for the illustrations and the short, succinct chapters, but not more stars given the weird ending. We'll have to see what the next one is like before we decide whether to give up on this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of Troubling Tonsils!, and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Aaron Reynolds is a GEM! We were lucky enough to have him visit our elementary school a few years ago, so when I saw that he was writing a series of Creepy Tales that were a step beyond picture books, I knew I HAD to read them.

If you are a lover of Creepy Carrots, Creepy Pair of Underwear, or Creepy Crayons, you will LOVE Troubling Tonsils. My daughter was laughing, rolling on the ground, and just SO happy as this story about Charlie Marmot and his infected tonsils. The illustrations for this were done by Peter Brown (who we also LOVE, especially for his story Mr Tiger Goes Wild).

If your kiddo is having surgery to get their tonsils removed, maybe don't read this as part of your surgery prep... as it is a CREEPY tale, and may scare them the night before their own surgery.

I will continue to read any other Jasper Rabbit books that Aaron writes and will recommend them to all!

Thank you to NetGalley, Aaron Reynolds, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this books. All thoughts are my own.

My 9 year old daughter and I read The Troubling Tonsils together. She and my son, age 7, both love the Jasper Rabbit books. My daughter found the book to be gross and fun. She said this chapter book has the same vibe as the Jasper Rabbit books and that she throughly enjoyed the new story. I found I also enjoyed the story. The Jasper Rabbit books are a big hit with the students at my school. I am a school nurse and a substitute teacher who reads often to several age groups. From a school nurse point of view, the way this story describes the issues children face with their tonsils was excellant and relatable. I would highly recommend this book. I look forward to more chapter books from Aaron Reynolds!

I’ve loved all of Aaron Reynolds’ Creepy Tales picture books, so I was really excited for his new early reader chapter book. Troubling Tonsils was weird, creepy, and a lot of fun! The illustrations throughout were fantastic and added to the quirky vibe. It’s perfect for readers just starting out with chapter books!