There's a Monster in My Socks

May 14, 2012
Lio is a remarkable boy who hangs out with aliens, makes his own robots, and loves the morbid and warped side of life. This book is not a single story, but a collection of short comic strips, and while it’s technically aimed for middle-grade readers, some of its dark sense of humor and twisted jokes might go over better with adults than kids. Literal-minded readers might not get all the supernatural angles and ironic, unrealistic stories, but kids can appreciate the school-age humor and that Lio is so much smarter than the grownups around him—even if the grownups don’t realize it. Very few words are spoken, or needed, in the more than 200 pages, with nearly everything is conveyed excellently through art. Tatulli has a knack for the unexpected, the surreal, and the weird, and he plays these for all they’re worth: Lio sells shrunken heads instead of lemonade, he travels through time, he meets monsters; put together it makes for a very engaging character. There are some similarities between this strip and Calvin and Hobbes, but Tatulli’s stories are much more outrageous. Ages 8–12.

November 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Here are a few tips for surviving life with Lio: if there's a KEEP OUT sign on his door, don't try to vacuum in there. You maybe should just concede the science fair to him. And for goodness sake, don't give him a turn at show-and-tell. His decidedly unorthodox (and frequently disproportionate) responses to familiar school-age situations and pursuits are depicted in a scratchy black-and-white style with a distinct Gahan Wilson flavor. When flying kites with the other kids, Lio brings a dragon. When it's time to play football, Lio brews a Mr. Hyde potion that turns him into the ultimate linebacker. Some strips take a little effort to decode, which makes their punch line that much funnier. Despite hearty helpings of grotesque slapstick violence, Lio is a goodhearted character with an active sense of justice, frequently victimizing bullies, sticking up for other kids, and championing the voiceless-such as prey animals, aliens, and monsters. Like Big Nate, Lio lives with his patient, long-suffering schlub of a dad. Overjoyed at breakfast time to find a giant egg in the kitchen, he ends up with an alien stuck to his face. He steals his garbage can to make a robot, the steaks from the fridge to feed the monsters under the floor, and tests his potions out on poor old dad. Lio's near-wordless humor will appeal to a wide variety of kids-smart kids, kids who think they are weird, pranksters, and kids who sometimes get in trouble.-Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2012
Grades 4-7 This collection of the comic strip chronicles the adventures of a spiky-haired young boy who dabbles in mad science and has a pet snake named Frank, a squid named Ishmael, assorted robots and creatures (such as the monster under the bed), and a single, perpetually sleep-deprived father. The black-and-white strips are mostly wordless, with some writing and sound effects to help the reader understand what's happening. The strips (each just one or two pages long) have a somewhat macabre sense of humor but still remain suitable and nonthreatening for elementary-school readers: Lio arms ducks with miniature bombs to drop upon hunters; the boy greets aliens, who use him as an ornament for their rear-view mirror; and he follows a path on the ground and ends up in a giant game of Mouse Trap. While part of the publishers' new line of AMP! Comics for Kids, this book can also be enjoyed by adults, especially those who grew up with Charles Addams and Edward Gorey cartoons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)