A Werewolf Named Oliver James by Nicholas John Frith Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on June 26th 2018
ISBN: 1338254332
Pages: 32
Goodreads
Oliver James has to be home by six for dinner. What he didn’t plan was for people to run away from him yelling werewolf, only to find out he’s the werewolf. It’s a fun read that’s perfect for Halloween or just kids who enjoy spooky fantasy stories with a message of ‘it’s okay to be different’. It’s perfect for 2nd and 3rd graders due to the fact younger readers might not fully grasp the meaning of the story, but they’ll still enjoy the illustrations and the basic idea of it. The story was great at capturing emotions of someone young who might not be scared of what they are, but excited about these new powers only for them to question it when other’s their age is frightened. The illustrations are simple shapes with simple colors following a six-color theme throughout the book, some on top of others to add depth, which works well for this story in adding another spooky layer to it. The flaw is that the message is something you don’t really think about reading unless you’re looking for it. A great Halloween read with a great message that any library would love to have.
Reviewed by Cherise Letourneau, Auburn Public Library, Auburn