Frankenstein: Lost Souls

     Note to self - Look to see if the book you want to read is a sequel.  Not only is Frankenstein:  Lost Souls by Dean Koontz a sequel, it is Book 4 in the Frankenstein series.  For most of the book I had no idea what was happening, but didn't really care.  The writing is mediocre.  Most of the characters are superficially developed.  There are so many people in the book, they almost fight for attention.  It was impossible to keep track of any of them, so I didn't care which humans were killed by the replacements.  The book was very slow, even though there were brief scenes of intense action.  Dean Koontz knew he was going to make another book, so he doesn't even try to bring the book to any kind of conclusion.  The book just stops.  I hated the book and will not go back and read the earlier books or the next one in the series.  Unless you are a fan of the series already, I do not recommend this book.

Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet

     Rob is a typical twelve-year-old kid with an annoying older sister and a tag-along little brother.  He doesn't do well in school, has a messy room, and  a huge crush on his neighbor Janae.
     Rob's dad brings home a closet door from Goodwill for Rob's closet.  It even has a weird handle that has a strange man's face on it.  Rob throws everything into his closet - including his chemistry set, playdough, and books he never reads, and shuts the door.
     One day a weird creature emerges from the closet.  He is a mix of Willy Wonka and Frankenstein's monster.  Rob decides to call him Wonkenstein.  Wonkenstein gets Rob into lots of trouble, some serious misunderstandings, and lots of adventures - including reading the two books that mean so much to Wonkenstein.
     This book is written in the style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Every page has lots of cartoon drawings, so it is great for reluctant readers.  The main characters are boys, which makes it a great choice for ten-year-old boys who don't like to read.  It was silly, but the perfect kind of humor for kids who are learning to read chapter books.  I recommend it for reluctant readers or kids who are learning to read longer books, but still need the support of lots of pictures to understand the plot.