The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall

by Drew Weing

Overview

In this second volume of The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, graphic novelist Drew Weing delivers a fresh and funny take on the age-old battle between kids and closet-dwelling monsters.

Charles meets a lot of monsters in his line of work. While assisting Margo Maloo on her assignments, he’s had close encounters with trolls, ghosts, imps, and ogres. And lately, they’re all saying the same thing: living in Echo City is getting harder.

As the human population of the city grows, monsters are being forced to abandon their homes. Teenagers are creeping into their territory, smartphones in hand, eager to photograph paranormal activity. Some monsters are tired of hiding and ready to fight. How can Margo and Charles keep Echo City’s monster community a secret, when it’s teetering in the brink of war?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250268921
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Series:	The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo , #2
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.52(w) x 5.98(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Drew Weing lives in Athens, Georgia, with his wife, cartoonist Eleanor Davis, and too many cats. He makes comics for print and online, among which are the nautical graphic novel Set to Sea, and the early-reader comic Flop to the Top, which he co-authored with his wife.

Editorial Reviews

"The graphic narrative points out that different is not necessarily bad and that humans and monsters are afraid of one another primarily because of misinformation and miscommunication—a valuable lesson for human-human relations as well." —Kirkus

"Weing's artwork further adds to the lighthearted fun: his detailed backgrounds, jewel-toned color palette, only slightly spooky monsters, and stylish character designs give this lots of visual appeal. Fans of the first installment won't want to miss this sequel." —Booklist

From the Publisher

2018-07-30
In the sequel to The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo (2017), aspiring journalist Charles Thompson works closely with Margo Maloo, who resolves problems between children and the monsters they encounter. Eager to begin his Pulitzer quest, Charles begins to assist Margo in her work and discovers the secret world of monsters and is determined to show the world—through his blog—that they are not as dangerous as humans make them out to be. In episodic graphic chapters, Charles and Margo help Fyo, a baby imp, find his family and address the concerns of teenage vampires who live in an abandoned mall. While the child characters are representative of limited races—Charles is white, Margo is Indian-American, and Kevin is black—the often misunderstood monsters allow a lot more room for a lot more interpretation. Characters are deftly developed through dialogue bubbles and visually, the gremlinlike Fyo's distress at discovering his former home knocked down taken just as seriously as Margo's tender relationship with her elderly uncle, who appears to be slipping into dementia. The graphic narrative points out that different is not necessarily bad and that humans and monsters are afraid of one another primarily because of misinformation and miscommunication—a valuable lesson for human-human relations as well. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews