Fangsgiving continues the monster pun fun for all

Ethan Long is onto something. We were fans of Fright Club. We enjoyed Valensteins even more and with Fangsgiving it’s like we’re welcoming a friend back into the fold again. The titular character, Vlad is back with his monster friends for Thanksgiving. They’re happily planning a low key Thanksgiving when his family unexpectedly pulls up. The chaos and frustration that ensue at Vlad’s house is akin to the stories and feelings that you probably associate to your Thanksgivings as well.

 

Family and Thanksgiving do go hand in hand and this monster tale is great to read for several reasons. The first is that I’ve grown to enjoy reading and seeing Mumford (the mummy), Sandy (the witch), Fran (Frankenstein) and Virginia (the Wolfman). Each character has their own personality and elementary school kids will grin from ear to ear while they read the book. The text in Fangsgiving is large and such that third graders will be able to read the book with ease. Kindergarten kids will be able to make out some of the sight words and really enjoy looking at the illustrations.

Secondly, this is a story that parents will relate to at some level. While they might not have unexpected visitors on Thanksgiving they will relate to the back seat driving as they prepare the big meal. Sure enough, Vlad’s family offers up their own ‘improvements’ to each aspect of the meal. Just as in real life, those ‘improvements’ only serve to ruin or delay the meal, which makes nobody happy.

Kids will especially enjoy the monster ingredient additions like baboon burps, snail spit and more that provides just enough gross-out humor to hook in those reluctant reader boys.

As with most family occasions Vlad manages to get his family and his friends on the same page. That’s the punch line for the book, which is just like your family. It might not be what some had envisioned, but it all works out and it’s never as bad as your worst case scenario.