If you think monsters don’t exist, just ask Theodora Hendrix. The second in a brilliantly funny new series, perfect for fans of Amelia Fang.

Theodora is a great protagonist: brave, caring, but also keen to make a human friend (so much that she's willing to sit through chess club run by her horrible headteacher). All of the monsters in MLM were well defined, with individual quirks and personalities - from opera singing ghosts to werewolves who eat bones in front of human guests. And the house itself is full of blinking eyes and forgetful gargoyles. There's a lot of humour in Theodora's inventive attempts to convince her new friend Dexter that her house is completely normal. Fast forward 10 years and the baby, Theodora Hendrix is unperturbed by her unconventional upbringing and has ingratiated herself in her adopted family. We are introduced to the most marvellous cast of monstrous family members. There’s Helter-Skelter the skeleton butler, Theodora’s mum ‘Mummy’ the, well, Egyptian mummy, Hamlet the skull, Mousetrap the crow and Figaro the operatic ghost to name but a few. Sherman the spider (well actually he’s a tarantula), is Theodora’s dapper arachnid associate. Suited and booted in a top hat and a monocle on each of his 8 eyes he is loyal to a fault – in this case man’s best friend is most definitely monstrous! The concept is really clever and the characters were reminiscent of The Addams Family or The Munsters.

Told by a narrator directly to the reader adds more laughs, even as he endeavours to keep everything VERY serious. There are the villains too; a horrible hag and the school principal who is equal to the evil hag in her horribleness! Theodora Hendrix is a great book for younger fans of spooky stories, who want humour alongside their monsters. A perfect halloween read. There are also plenty of friendly monsters to hang out with, like Mummy the mummy, Georgie Hendrix the zombie, Bandit the masked vampire-cat, Helter-Skelter the skeleton butler, Hamlet the skull, Mousetrap the raven and Figaro the operatic ghost. Life' has carried on quite smoothly for Theodora besides this very strange upbringing. That is at least until strange notes began appearing, threatening to reveal the MLM's secret to the High Council. Keeping a human is still very high on the 'must nots' list in the Rule Book.

Chris Jevons’ illustrations are absolutely adorable, with an Addams Family vibe. They bring the characters to life so well and although the details occasionally don’t line up perfectly with the text, the majority of the time they do. I particularly loved the cute little bats in the text breaks. There’s also been someone delivering threatening letters to the Monstrous League of Monsters, someone who knows they’ve broken one of the rules of the Monstrous League of Monsters Charter. 1. Keep monsters hidden from humans This is a lovely and enchanting story with beautiful illustrations that is great for a Halloween read or for any child (or grown up) who loves a mystery and creepy monsters too! But the first rule of the MLM Charter is "Keep monsters hidden from humans' and when a series of anonymous letters (sealed with earwax) arrive, it seems that someone has discovered their secret and they threaten to tear Theodora from her beloved family of beasts. Brave Theodora, assisted by her first-ever human friend Dexter Adebola must solve the mystery of the menacing letters and save her family. It’s just shy of midnight on Halloween and in an unmarked grave in an abandoned cemetery, a tiny human, swaddled in blankets is wailing like a banshee. A zombie named George Hendrix claws his way out of the earth and he and his best friend Bandit, a masked vampire cat rescue the baby and take her to a sprawling mansion in the village of Appleton, Pumpkinshire. But this is no ordinary mansion…it is in fact occupied by the Monstrous League of Monsters (MLM) and they vow to take care of the baby.The illustrations are excellent and really bring the story to life (I especially loved Sherman). They didn't quite show up properly on the digital version from NetGalley, so I'm really looking forward to buying the finished book so my daughter and I can enjoy them properly. The writing of the book reminded me of Geronimo Stilton's books. Big letters, lots and lots of illustrations that looked really good by the way. I like it. Also, the story reminded me so much of Hotel Transylvania. I recommend them this book to those who love movies. The story was funny, though a bit predictable. I liked this tale with a dark atmosphere. Esta muchacha está dispuesta a darlo todo por su familia y su fiel amigo. Cuando se propone algo lo alcanza sin importar los problemas que surjan en el camino. Su espíritu curioso nos conduce por esta novela dejándonos siempre una sonrisa debido a la forma en que está narrado este libro, lleno de monólogos y chascarrillos. Georgie is digging his way out of a grave at midnight when he’s disturbed by a baby howling. It’s not the sort of thing a zombie expects in his cemetery. Thereafter, it’s not what the ghoulish residents of 13 Battington Crescent expect when Georgie arrives home. After all, isn’t their first rule ‘ Keep monsters hidden from humans’? What can be done? It doesn’t seem as though there’s anyone nearby to whom the monsters might leave the baby, safely. Then again, they have the power to rehabilitate any hag or hobgoblin who ‘ may have a taste for human flesh’. Initially Mummy is resistant to the baby. Yet when she opens her eyes and smiles ‘a toothless smile’, at Mummy everything changes. Thereafter, the baby is named and grows to live and thrive with the Monstrous League of Monsters. It's just shy of midnight on Halloween and in an unmarked grave in an abandoned cemetery, a tiny human, swaddled in blankets is wailing like a banshee. A zombie named George Hendrix claws his way out of the earth and he and his best friend Bandit, a masked vampire cat rescue the baby and take her to a sprawling mansion in the village of Appleton, Pumpkinshire. But this is no ordinary mansion...it is in fact occupied by the Monstrous League of Monsters (MLM) and they vow to take care of the baby.

Theodora is a wonderful character. She’s strong, courageous and isn’t afraid of standing up for herself. Dexter, who compliments Theodora really well, is more reserved and much more concerned about following rules than his new friend. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. Will Theodora give herself up to save her family, or will her monster family discover the frightening letters (along with their green, slimy trail of earwax!) themselves? Shelley y Ratsputin han venido a espiar a la Monstruosa Liga de los Monstruos y están decididos a crear problemas en todo momento. Entonces Theodora hace un descubrimiento propio: un escarabajo maldito. Necesita destruirlo sin llamar la atención del inspector, y rápido. Lo que está en juego no podría ser más importante: si Theodora falla, su amada familia de monstruos se pudrirá en las cárceles más húmedas y oscuras de Transilvania. Theodora Hendrix egy cuki, szórakoztató, szörnyes történet. A főszereplőnk egy kislány, akit szörnyek neveltek fel. Az iskolában jött egy új diák, aki barátkozik vele, közben pedig fura dolgok történnek a szörnyek világában is.

Equally, I was left puzzling over the identity of Theodora's birth parents and the reasons why she was left in the graveyard - there are so many unanswered questions, there just has to be another book in the series! I can't be left hanging like this! Yet, what happens when the monsters receive ear wax threats about Theodora’s presence with MLM? Thereafter, what if Theodora discovers these threats and determines to investigate? Might it be that she’ll have a human friend brave enough to join in her research? Furthermore, can they both stand up to a bullying Headteacher and the terror of a red-eyed crow? Zombie George Hendrix and vampire-cat Banjo are startled when, one Halloween, they discover an abandoned human baby in a graveyard. To prevent her from being eaten by hobgoblins, they take her home to the Monstrous League of Monsters. As the monsters’ first rule is to stay hidden from humans, they know the baby should be returned to human care, but they cannot resist keeping her. As well as being extremely humorous, Theodora Hendrix is also very heart-warming. I loved the friendship that develops between Theodora and Dexter and the chapter where Theodora's family all work together to hide the fact that they are monsters from Dexter when he's invited to the mansion for a play-date is hilarious! Dexter Adebola's character highlights the struggle of fitting into a new school and being a person of colour in a predominantly white setting.

Theodora's new friend Dexter is avoiding her since she invited him over after school one day, and her principal is determined to find a reason to expel her. How did life get so complicated?

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Theodora Hendrix is ​​a cute, fun story with monsters. Our protagonist is a little girl raised by monsters. Teodora started a new school year, while strange things happen in the world of monsters as well.