When Frankie Made a Human (Gruesomely Good & Monstrously Misunderstood)

This was such a great concept and I’m surprised that this hasn’t been done before. It was what I was looking for from the Frankenstein mythos and was a fun concept for a kids series. The characters worked well overall and I appreciated how good it was.

I thought Frankie was super sweet. I would have liked a bit more action but overall it was fun story.
The illustrations were fantastic and really added to the story. Would have love more of them.

My son loves reading chapter books and especially when we curl up and read. Funny and just a tad spooky read.

Frankie lives in Frankenstein castle on the very top of the mountain. He is leaving school to go home while his classmates are showing off the silly things that they do as Frankie has no special powers. When Frankie gets home, he is asked how his day at school was while Frankie asked if there were any crumpets left to eat. Afterwards he goes to his room. He thinks about how lonely he is and wishes he had a friend. He knows it won’t happen at school. His mother tells him to study hard and to read the science books they have. He is only interested in having a friend. He lives in Monsterland where only monsters live. No humans are allowed. He decides to make a friend for himself. He knows that it can’t be a monster so he decides to makes a human. He succeeds but finds out that his human is wanting to improve everything which would only cause problems for the monsters’ lives. What will Frankie do?

The author has written a humorous novel about having a friend. I enjoyed reading how Frankie made the human. It was a little sad as to how much Frankie wanted a friend. As I was reading this, I was thinking of the movie “Frankenstein.” And wondered if that was her inspiration for writing this. Regardless, it’s a fun book to read. You also will learn to not to think you can’t have a friend.

I read this with my students and it was such an enjoyable experience. We had so much fun.
The twist on the original tale is done so well and it keeps you entertained throughout the story. It is good for the beginner readers as well.

Frankie isn’t like the other monsters in Monsterweld. They enjoy showing off the weird things their bodies can do, like Violet the Skeleton and her musical rib cage, but Frankie needs to be careful he doesn’t accidentally undo the stitches and bolts that hold his body together.

Frankie’s home, Frankenstein Castle, sets him apart even more because … ‘humans used to live there.’ Sure, humans are creepy but Frankenstein Castle has secret tunnels so it’s definitely my kind of creepy.

Frankie really wants a friend, but not Spooky Suki. He does have standards. So he comes up with an ingenious plan; he’ll make his own friend. Sounds easy enough.

Fido might be human but it quickly becomes apparent that Frankie has indeed created a monster.

Rachel Delahaye has reimagined a classic in a fun, imaginative way that will make you wonder why you didn’t think of it. The focus is on friendship but there’s some accidental learning in there as well.

I always look forward to finding out how Rachel is going to play with words to make me smile. One of my favourites in this book was discovering that Monster Radio plays rhythm and boos.

Maïté Schmitt’s illustrations are detailed and just the right amount of quirky. The characters are expressive and there’s just so much to find in the backgrounds. I absolutely adored the Jaws poster.

I really liked Frankie and wanted him to find a friend. It was Suki who stole my heart, though. She was independent, smart and merrily did her own thing instead of trying to blend in with the crowd. I need another story set in Monsterweld that has her centre stage. I’m also keen to watch Frankie’s mother at work. She’s definitely got some stories to tell.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.