There are no dull days in Monstrocity! Or at least that is what the publisher’s description says. But if the first two books of this series are any indication, then they are right! Olivia Wolf and the Moldy Sandwich by Jose Fragoso, followed by Olivia Wolf and the Night of the Giant Monsters are packed with early reader/early graphic novel adventures. Book one has three main parts, a little science, a lot of humor and a mystery. There is usually a short “message” but not overly “educational” in the sense you will be getting “just the facts” type of story. Book two has two main parts, the mystery of why the night monsters are out in the day (answer, the sun didn’t rise) and how to stop them. There is a bit of a message, but again, it is more about the fun and adventure and less 
about being “educational” or “having a moral.’
The idea is about how in Monstrocity humans and monsters live side by side. They go to stores, work, and their kids go to school together. Our gang consists of more monsters (a werewolf, a fly, a vampire/bat, a mummy, a skeleton, a mad scientist, an invisible person, goblin, a baby brother werewolf) and one human who likes costumes. Moldy Sandwich is your first clue in volume one. It plays a part in what is causing the mystery of a missing teacher. And there is the science of mold, which will help us figure out how to stop mold from becoming an issue. Night and Giant Monsters tells you that you will be dealing with monsters at night. Even in a land where monsters and humans are nice to each other, there are bad monsters, too. And book three (due mid-Spring 2024) adds a new friend to the mix (that we met in book one). Olivia Wolf and a Million Olivia’s continues the adventures with lots more fun, cleverness, and goofy. There is a birthday party and a creepy fun arcade (that is a mix of Chucky Cheese and Five Nights of Freddy. But cute. Maybe). We have a blast from the past and a real baddy. And since these books are graphic novels, the praises of comics are sung (and protected as much as possible). In some ways, volume three is my favorite of the bunch, but each has its own charm.
Very basic text and ideas fill the books. The areas are not overly detailed with the illustrations, but keep the fun and silly going. Details and colors are there as needed, though it can be brightly colorful. There are some modern additions with the characters (we have a mom and mom; the different monsters have issues such as anxiety or one is possibly non-binary as we’re not introduced to Sam’s (the invisible person) gender (or at least right away), but, of course, they are an important member of the team). These books are fun. Not OMG best ever, but they what aged six to eight/nine (or young 10) could want. Though volumes one and two are currently available, I read them via online reader copies.
