Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #1
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Quirk Books
Source: Publisher
Goodreads Stars: 3
Rating: Enjoyable
Every volume in the Lovecraft Middle School series is fully illustrated and features an original lenticular portrait on the cover. Display them on bookshelves—and then watch the cover characters morph into monsters as you pass by!Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping from lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labyrinth of secret corridors. And the science teacher is acting very, very peculiar. Robert Arthurt knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous!With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers there's more to Lovecraft Middle School than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it's too late? - Goodreads
Robert Arthur was surrounded by strangers.
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I can honestly say that if I hadn't received this book for review (unsolicited), I probably would have never picked it up. Similarly, if Bout of Books 8.0 hadn't happened, Professor Gargoyle would have been sitting on my TBR bookshelf for many more months to come. One reason for this is that it's a very short book, and I tend to leave short books alone. The second reason is that the cover is holographic, and when I first saw the cute looking teacher change to what looked like something from The Demon Headmaster, I yelped in surprise/fear, jumped back, and hit my head on the wall. I've been holding a grudge for months now.
Professor Gargoyle isn't a complicated read. If you're going to go into it expecting a Harry Potter-esque middle grade novel, then you're going to be sorely disappointed. That said, Professor Gargoyle is quick, fun, and it makes you want to read the next book so you can find out just what's going on at this crazy school. I was invested in the storyline, even if I wasn't so invested in the main character, Robert.
I really enjoyed the way Charles Gilman blended horror and science fiction within this story. I was expecting the horror, because hello, look at that cover. But the small sci-fi aspect was a pleasant surprise.
Adding to the fast paced story, there are some fantastic illustrations placed throughout the book. I especially liked the one that showed Professor Gargoyle trying to eat a rat. I've been showing the drawings to my five year old sister, and I'm pretty sure she loves them as much as I do.
After finishing Professor Gargoyle, I immediately moved onto reading The Slither Sisters, the second book in the Tales From Lovecraft Middle School series. I was enjoying the light read so much, and I couldn't wait to discover more horrible creatures who attended this school.
I don't think I would pick this book up based on the cover and the blurb, but sometimes I'm really in the mood for something light and fast-paced. Plus, I'm a sucked for books with illustrations :D
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