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The Terribles #1
The Terribles #1: Welcome to Stubtoe Elementary
The Terribles might be monsters, but they're also kids just like you! Well, sort of. This hilarious peek into the world of vampires, mummies, swamp-things, and bigfoots is perfect for fans of the Hotel Transylvania movies.
Vampires, mummies, and gelatinous balls of goo (oh my!). That's right, monsters are real and they've settled down on the quiet island of Creep's Cove. It's a pretty typical place: houses, stores, portals to various nightmarish parallel dimensions. And a school for the kiddos.
Meet the crew:
Vlad, a fame-thirsty vampire,
Allie, a stuffed animal-dissecting alien,
Lizzie, a short-tempered kaiju,
and SO many others!
Told in alternating chapters, comics, poems, charts, and activities each focused on different classic spooky characters this story is the introduction to monsters you humans have been waiting for.
Vampires, mummies, and gelatinous balls of goo (oh my!). That's right, monsters are real and they've settled down on the quiet island of Creep's Cove. It's a pretty typical place: houses, stores, portals to various nightmarish parallel dimensions. And a school for the kiddos.
Meet the crew:
Vlad, a fame-thirsty vampire,
Allie, a stuffed animal-dissecting alien,
Lizzie, a short-tempered kaiju,
and SO many others!
Told in alternating chapters, comics, poems, charts, and activities each focused on different classic spooky characters this story is the introduction to monsters you humans have been waiting for.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2022
About the author
Travis Nichols
32 books25 followersAbout twice a month, I have a dream that I'm in my house and I discover a fish tank. It's dingy, overgrown with algae, and FULL of fish. They're swimming around and seem to be okay in the murky water, but I feel so horrible. I completely forgot that I had a fish tank. Those little guys must have been breeding like crazy just so they'd have something to eat.
Oh. Copy... PASTE. Travis Nichols is a writer illustrator in Brooklyn. He is the author and illustrator of a tidy heap of award-winning books and comics for kids and post-kids, including The Terribles (series), Betty's Burgled Bakery, Fowl Play, Matthew Meets the Man, and The Monster Doodle Book. He has played in more than a dozen bands you've probably never heard of (how's THAT for indie cred?!), and he enjoys meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. Find him at iamtravisnichols.com.
Oh. Copy... PASTE. Travis Nichols is a writer illustrator in Brooklyn. He is the author and illustrator of a tidy heap of award-winning books and comics for kids and post-kids, including The Terribles (series), Betty's Burgled Bakery, Fowl Play, Matthew Meets the Man, and The Monster Doodle Book. He has played in more than a dozen bands you've probably never heard of (how's THAT for indie cred?!), and he enjoys meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. Find him at iamtravisnichols.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 8, 2024
my band name is "Pumpkin Girl says Daydreams" 🎃🎸💭✨
August 8, 2024
Lots of quirky fun! A quick read and an enjoyable one. Needed more of Adam working a part-time job, and maybe more Erik. But overall a great set of characters who have their own little quirks to them that author Nichols exhibits so well. I just wish I had this book when I was younger, it’s very cute!
August 16, 2024
Changing this month's bookclub pick from Kafka's The Trial for this is the most literature student activity we could've done.
September 18, 2022
Children's books are the best books. The inclusion of the Phantom of the Opera is what sold me on this and made me laugh the most, but it was all delightful.
July 19, 2022
While it's clear that monsters could easily take over the world, instead they've decided to live on a remote island called Creep's Cove. There, they rear their offspring in peace, even sending them to school at Stubtoe Elementary where they are led by Ms. Verne, a teacher with a long reach due to her tentacles. In this, the first of an illustrated series that will appeal to third, fourth, and fifth graders as well as some older students, readers meet some of the young inhabitants of this place. As it turns out, the young vampires, werewolves, mummies, and aliens have a lot more in common with human youngsters than might be expected. Vlad, for instance, wants to push the boundaries of where he can go, and Erik, who covers part of his face with a Phantom of the Opera mask, is constantly composing depressing songs about lost loves and opportunities. And together, they want to form their own band, the secret dream of many an intermediate or junior high schooler. The chapters are held together by brief introductions to each of these terrible creatures who turn out to be far less frightening than humans. The use of spot artwork and comic strips hints at the very strange world these youngsters inhabit and makes the reading of the book go quite quickly. This book is a good choice for readers in search of something different from the usual fare.
November 11, 2022
For more bookish thoughts, see my blog: Craft-Cycle
A hilarious collection of interconnected stories, comics, and infographics. Perfect for fans of anything Dav Pilkey and Mo O'Hara's My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series.
Venture to Creep's Cove and meet the students of Stubtoe Elementary. From Frankie, the fringe scientist, to Quade, the politest sasquatch you'll ever meet, to Lizzie the reptilian kaiju with anger problems, and many more. A fun cast of characters that take the reader through all sorts of hilarity and adventures.
Nice mix of text and illustrations to help keep young readers engaged. Also includes some fun activities at the end such as a Band Name Generator.
Promising start to a new series that is sure to be a lot of fun.
A hilarious collection of interconnected stories, comics, and infographics. Perfect for fans of anything Dav Pilkey and Mo O'Hara's My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series.
Venture to Creep's Cove and meet the students of Stubtoe Elementary. From Frankie, the fringe scientist, to Quade, the politest sasquatch you'll ever meet, to Lizzie the reptilian kaiju with anger problems, and many more. A fun cast of characters that take the reader through all sorts of hilarity and adventures.
Nice mix of text and illustrations to help keep young readers engaged. Also includes some fun activities at the end such as a Band Name Generator.
Promising start to a new series that is sure to be a lot of fun.
January 18, 2024
A gathering of classic monsters has been done (Mad Monster Party, Hotel Transylvania, Monsters vs. Aliens). A school for monsters has also been done (Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School). When you're doing a story that's been done before, it's imperative that you put a new spin on it, which this one delivers.
- There's an explanation as to how humans, like a mad scientist, can exist on the island.
- The writer is aware that Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster (later, the mad scientist Frankie creates a monster whom she calls Adam, a nod to Mary Shelley's novel).
- You get some unexpected monsters, like Erik, the operatic kid who wears half of a mask, and Lizzy the kaiju.
- The entire school is run by a mostly-unseen Lovecraftian abomination.
And, most importantly, it's funny and the characters are all pretty likable, despite being literal monsters. I think you'll enjoy reading it to your kids (or reading it yourself; I don't judge).
- There's an explanation as to how humans, like a mad scientist, can exist on the island.
- The writer is aware that Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster (later, the mad scientist Frankie creates a monster whom she calls Adam, a nod to Mary Shelley's novel).
- You get some unexpected monsters, like Erik, the operatic kid who wears half of a mask, and Lizzy the kaiju.
- The entire school is run by a mostly-unseen Lovecraftian abomination.
And, most importantly, it's funny and the characters are all pretty likable, despite being literal monsters. I think you'll enjoy reading it to your kids (or reading it yourself; I don't judge).
July 26, 2022
I loved The Terribles and I want to blurf and jorgle it to the whole world! If you like slime and “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” and also Halloween, then head on over to Stubtoe Elementary, if you dare. Also, thanks to Vlad for finally naming my pop-punk band: Daisy with Daydreams.
October 23, 2022
Definitely one for middle grade readers. Imagine horror characters as elementary school-aged students, dealing with goofy problems that only little monsters might have. A fun, quick read with plenty of illustrations.
October 27, 2022
Fun cute Halloween read
October 6, 2023
Gently spooky and silly. This book aims to be friendly to a wide age range of kids, and might not be scary enough to satisfy folks looking for a Halloween read.
December 1, 2024
Cute. A fun take on monsters. I like the phantom of the opera being a part of it
November 21, 2025
very fun! like a Wayside School for paranormals
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews