The Night Door

by Frank Cammuso

Overview

In this hilarious graphic novel, Edison Beaker is about to find out what services the family business, Creature Seekers Pest Control, really offer. (Hint: forget about rat and roach removal . . . think monster hunting!)

Edison Beaker and his young sister Tesla are staying with their uncle Earl, manager of the family pest control company, when an alarm sounds and he has no choice but to drag them along on a service call.

They should have listened when he warned them, "stay in the van."

Monster-sized mayhem ensues when the kids chase their escaped hamster into a mysterious warehouse--and suddenly they are the ones being chased as all sorts of creepy creatures scurry, slink, and stomp through a secret Night Door.

The first of two new middle-school graphic novels that introduce a funny, smart, likable, reluctant hero and his wisecracking younger sister, whose adventures are sure to appeal to readers of Lunch Lady, Hilo, and Caveboy Dave.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984836557
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Series:	Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	191 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Frank Cammuso is an Eisner-nominated author-artist and the creator of The Knights of the Lunch Table and The Misadventures of Salem Hyde graphic novel series, among other books. He is a former award-winning political cartoonist for The Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse. His cartoons have been reprinted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Newsweek. He teaches illustration at Syracuse University.

Editorial Reviews

"Frank Cammuso is a masterful cartoonist and Edison Beaker is an absolute delight."
—Gene Luen Yang
former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Printz-Award winning creator of American Born Chinese, and New York Times bestselling author of Secret Coders

"I love Frank Cammuso's comics! Great characters, snappy dialogue, and always something awesome going on!"
—Jeff Smith
Creator of the New York Times bestselling, award-winning series Bone

"Frank's seemingly effortless cartoon touch, characters, and sense of humor make this charming, chase-filled, slapstick, modern fantasy adventure that feels like Calvin and Hobbes meets Monster Squad, a delight to read! Five rolling hamsters out of five!"
—Douglas Holgate
Illustrator of the New York Times bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth

From the Publisher

10/01/2018
Gr 3–7—Like many kids, Edison Beaker is afraid of the dark. After his father goes missing, Edison keeps the flashlight he gave him to chase away monsters. When Edison and his nosy little sister Tesla get stuck with their uncle Earl for the night, they assume they'll have a quiet night in. But Uncle Earl is actually a "creature seeker" who works to keep the monsters at bay from the human world. Edison and Tesla are unexpectedly dragged into the Underwhere (prompting many jokes about its homonym, of course), and with the help of Tesla's curious pet hamster and a cool monster girl named Knox, they must do their part to keep the darkness from invading. The adults show up when convenient, letting the kids tackle most of the problem-solving. Edison and Tesla have a charming sibling dynamic—though they annoy each other, they also have a bond based on love and trust. While this volume wraps up the immediate conflict, larger questions about the world and the characters are left unanswered, so readers will be invested in future installments. Cammuso's artwork is more cute than scary, but his panel work is creative and heightens the suspense. VERDICT Hand this start to a winning series to those who enjoy Jeff Smith's "Bone" or are looking for a rip-roaring, funny adventure.—Gretchen Hardin, Sterling Municipal Library, Baytown, TX

School Library Journal

2018-08-14

The search for a missing hamster leads two siblings into a monstrous underworld.

Edison Beaker and his little sister, Tesla, last saw their beloved father four years ago. After his mysterious disappearance, Edison, always afraid of the dark, has kept close the trusty flashlight his dad had left him. One night, when tagging along with their uncle, a "creature seeker" masquerading as an exterminator, the Beaker siblings learn firsthand what types of pests he hunts when Tesla's hamster, Scuttlbutt, rolls his ball through an unusual portal known as the Night Door. Once over its threshold, Edison and Tesla find themselves in the monster-filled Underwhere (expect the obvious jokes) and promptly pair with an androgynous, purple-skinned creature named Knox in order to find the missing Keystone needed to seal the Night Door and keep the nefarious Darkness and its monsters at bay. This first graphic novel in a proposed series will not disappoint, and its cheery illustrations, fast pace, and easy humor will appeal to fans of Judd Winick's Hilo series or Ben Hatke's work. The tale feels comfortably familiar in its worldbuilding and its accessible theme of light versus dark, but fresh details keep it from feeling formulaic. Character diversity is all but nonexistent, as the Beakers are all the white default. While this volume has a satisfactorily tidy resolution, enough threads are left dangling to foster interest in subsequent adventures.

A series opener with straightforward appeal. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews