The Ghost of Grotteskew

Stitch Head, a being cooked up in a laboratory by a mad scientist, continues his journey out of the shadows of Castle Grotteskew.

While reluctantly rehearsing with the castle’s drama society under the direction of the Creature (another of Mad Professor Erasmus’ creations), Stitch Head is startled by a disembodied voice only he can hear, calling his name. While searching for the voice’s source, Stitch Head is startled when a human face appears from the shadows, demanding Stitch Head give an unknown thing back. Hearing the description of the ghost, the usually brave Arabella (a human girl) tells Stitch Head he must leave the castle to escape the horrifying ghost of Mawley Crackbone. Upon speaking Mawley’s name, Stitch Head is pulled through the walls into unknown depths of the castle. Mawley reveals that he is the source of Stitch Head’s heart. The protagonist’s fragile sense of self is shaken when he questions if the heart of a wicked man means he is wicked. A quick pace is set from the prologue, where readers learn that Mawley was murdered to end his evil reign over the village of Grubbers Nubbin, and doesn’t let up until the end. Stitch Head’s emotional growth continues as he confronts strong feelings, helped by his friends. These more poignant scenes are balanced with moments of humor and whimsy: the Creature’s melodramatic speech patterns, the play the castle residents are staging, and detailed black-and-white illustrations of Grotteskew’s strange inhabitants. Human characters are generally pale-skinned.

Silly thrills about the power of self and friendship. (Fiction. 7-10) —Kirkus Reviews