Katfish

Reviewed by: Bernie Alie - Kennebunk Free Library, Kennebunk ME, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 20, 2014

Review

Book 4 in the Creature from my Closet series

Rob's last interaction with a creature from his closet resulted in disaster, and he imagines that everyone at school hates him including his crush, Janae. Now Kat has appeared, destined to help make things right. Resembling Katniss from the Hunger Games, she impresses Rob and his friends with her archery skills. Rob notices his friends hanging around and trying their best to impress her. Even Rob finds himself drawn to her, in that it is nice to have a female friend. But when Kat rescues Rob's dog from the pool, she turns into the Little Mermaid, decidedly less cool.

New concerns about girls and social standing are presented in a humorous text. Line drawings add to the fun and will appeal to fans of the Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants series. Enough backstory is given for readers new to the series to follow the plot and may inspire curiosity to read the previous titles.

Although the characters are in middle school, younger students will enjoy this series. The Hunger Games seems like an unfortunate choice for the target audience. It is described as a "cool story but not always happy" where kids have to compete against each other "for food," p.66. This simplified version may mislead readers who want to follow up with reading the original.

Overall Book Score: very good