Theodora Hendrix and the Monstrous League of Monsters: 1

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Theodora Hendrix is a magnificently monstrous, story that skilfully blends horror and humour for younger readers, as well as delivering important messages about adoption, diversity, differences and inclusion. There is plenty of intrigue for children to reason out and discuss but without it being too complex that they loose the thread of the story. With Halloween coming up, this is the perfect treat for children aged 7-9years. I highly recommend this cute children’s book. Especially for Geronimo Stilton and Hotel Transylvania fans! The book begins by introducing readers to Georgie, a zombie just risen from his grave, and vampire cat Bandit. Together, the two of them discover a baby girl left alone in a haunted graveyard at night. Searching around for her parents, they find nothing. Knowing that leaving her would result in some kind of monster coming along and eating her, the two of them take her to the Monstrous League of Monsters looking for advice. But no one can ever know that she’s at the Monstrous League of Monsters mansion (it’s haunted, of course) or else there will be consequences for her monster kin. “Harbouring a human is punishable by death” Okay, really serious consequences.

Theodora is a great protagonist: brave, caring, but also keen to make a human friend (so much that she's willing to sit through chess club run by her horrible headteacher). All of the monsters in MLM were well defined, with individual quirks and personalities - from opera singing ghosts to werewolves who eat bones in front of human guests. And the house itself is full of blinking eyes and forgetful gargoyles. There's a lot of humour in Theodora's inventive attempts to convince her new friend Dexter that her house is completely normal. Life' has carried on quite smoothly for Theodora besides this very strange upbringing. That is at least until strange notes began appearing, threatening to reveal the MLM's secret to the High Council. Keeping a human is still very high on the 'must nots' list in the Rule Book.The book is full of these kinds of messages and morals, and will teach children that friendships and family can take any form, that you can care for someone and mean something to others even if you're not related. It's a nice moral, and one that will leave child readers feeling good. But the first rule of the MLM Charter is "Keep monsters hidden from humans' and when a series of anonymous letters (sealed with earwax) arrive, it seems that someone has discovered their secret and they threaten to tear Theodora from her beloved family of beasts. Brave Theodora, assisted by her first-ever human friend Dexter Adebola must solve the mystery of the menacing letters and save her family. As well as being extremely humorous, Theodora Hendrix is also very heart-warming. I loved the friendship that develops between Theodora and Dexter and the chapter where Theodora’s family all work together to hide the fact that they are monsters from Dexter when he’s invited to the mansion for a play-date is hilarious! Dexter Adebola’s character highlights the struggle of fitting into a new school and being a person of colour in a predominantly white setting. Gracias a esta lectura descubrimos la importancia de la familia y los amigos en tiempos difíciles, y nos brinda la oportunidad de divertirnos con una original aventura.

Naturally, I want to live in the haunted mansion. There’s a secret passageway to explore, a squishy blue eyeball doorbell and I love Theodora’s bedroom.Someone who knows this more than anyone is Theodora Hendrix. She was found in a graveyard one night just before midnight. People of her town avoided this eerie place as it was thought to be haunted. So who was it who found her?