About the Book
Tom Stone stepped into Seward High and into Maria McBride's life like a bolt of lightning. He's the perfect guy for Maria—nice, smart, and well-built. There's just one problem: his family. Tom's father is the town's new funeral director, and business is booming. The bodies are piling up thick and fast in Persephone Falls, Alaska, so Dr. Stone keeps Tom up late at night working in the funeral home. And it's clear that Dr. Stone and his creepy assistant, Graves, don't want Maria around. Maria knows Tom was made for her. She's determined to find out what Dr. Stone has against her. When Tom refuses to stand up to his father, Maria begins to stitch together the clues...and finds out that the Stones are into recycling in ways she never could have imagined.
About the Author :
Paul D. Storrie was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and despite time spent in Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Los Angeles, has returned to Metro-Detroit time and again. He attended Grand Valley State University and received a B.A. in English Language and Literature, knowing that he wanted to tell stories for a living. His first published work was the comic book series Robyn of Sherwood in 1998. Since then he has written for numerous publishers, including a story for Marvel’s Captain America: Red, White & Blue anthology, the mini-series Gotham Girls for DC Comics, Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Andorians for IDW, and several tales for Graphic Universe, including Junior Library Guild selection Hercules: The Twelve Labors with artist Steve Kurth and Children’s Choice Book Awards finalist Beowulf: Monster Slayer with artist Ron Randall. Creator of the webcomic www.astray3.com, Eldon Cowgur can be found at his humble northwest Arkansas dwelling, drawing wild tales of curious locations.
Review :
"Frankenstein's Monster, aka Franklin Stone runs a funeral home where he harvests organs from bodies to create kinder, more humane versions of himself. Maria is thrilled with her new boyfriend, Tom B. Stone, who is Franklin's heartthrob 'son.' But can Tom explain the recent series of fatal accidents that have been giving the funeral home so much business? Written with humor and a fast pace, this book should have wide appeal, especially among fans of 'Twilight' and other supernatural romances. The bold, black-and-white illustrations resemble classic comics such as 'Archie' and reflect the story's romantic but irreverent tone." --School Library Journal
"The road to true love is never easy, whether you're a jock, a nerd, or the new guy. But throw in zombies and Frankenstein's monster and things get really difficult! Terrific art and sweet romances make these fun stories winners for fans of the paranormal. Every volume in the series (more are planned for the fall) features different characters, paranormal creatures, writers, and artists, giving readers a chance to enjoy the variety." --School Library Journal
"In these two opening titles in a graphic-novel series featuring unlikely romances between ordinary girls and their various monster loves, one girl falls hard for a boy who has mere hours before turning into a zombie that will then want to eat her, and another finds that her perfect new boyfriend is made up of reanimated corpse parts lovingly stitched together by his dad. Of course, true love is rarely smooth, and in this case, the heroines face not only the usual misunderstandings, insecurities, and intense feelings, but also flesh-eating zombies and jealous (and murderous) 'siblings' cobbled together from dead bodies. While neither book pushes the boundaries of graphic novels (both stick to fairly structured panels, black-and-white illustrations that mirror the text, and predictable comic-book-style exclamations and plot structuring), the mixing of romance and the supernatural, an obvious nod to Twilight and its ilk, may draw in readers new to the format. The gross factor (these are, after all, monsters) is present but downplayed in favor of the progression of the romances, with love more important than, say, the desire to eat your girlfriend's brains. This series, with the flashy titles (each extended with a sequence of several funny subtitles), eye-catching covers, and popular themes, will easily attract readers; happily, they will be rewarded with sturdy plots and clever takes on human/monster love." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Made for Each Other is the second book in this new graphic novel series from Lerner Publishing’s Graphic Universe. Maria McBride lives with her blind aunt in Persephone Falls, Alaska, where she attends Seward High and plays in a string quartet. She meets new student Tom Stone and just knows they were made for each other. He likes her a lot, too, but he always has to work after school and on weekends at the funeral home his father took over. Dr. Franklin Stone and his creepy assistant, Graves, don’t like Maria hanging around and business is booming for the funeral home, with plenty of accidental deaths. When Maria tries to find out why Dr. Stone keeps tom working at the funeral home all the time, she discovers Tom's secret: Dr. Stone made him out of different body parts. Dr. Stone has also made a girl using the body parts from three seniors who died in an accident. Hedy doesn’t like Maria at all, and she has decided she wants to make her own friends. This graphic novel is basically a modern-day version of the Frankenstein story with a romantic twist. Maria really does love Tom and wants to help him stop Hedy. The horror and violence remain fairly mild and not too graphic for most middle school readers. Anyone who knows the Frankenstein story will quickly realize what’s happening, although there are still some plot twists to shake things up and keep them from being too familiar. The black-and-white art is sharp and clear despite the book's small size and number of panels per page, making it more readable than one might expect. Teens who want horror with some romance (or romance with a little horror) will have fun with this book." --VOYA
"Maria falls for the new guy in school, Tom, and he likes her, too. The problem is that the recent mysterious rash of deaths in their town might have something to do with his strange family. Will Maria be able to save the guy she loves, or will monstrous history repeat itself? The books in the My Boyfriend Is a Monster paranormal-romance graphic-novel series are only connected by theme, with each having a different writer and artist, but so far share the same slightly quirky sense of humor. Storrie especially likes to play with names, featuring characters such as Byron, Shelley, and Tom B. Stone. His story is fun and holds together well, even though the page count makes for a somewhat hurried romance. However, as Cowgur is careful to make Tom a hunk, readers will forgive Maria's speedy fall, and the black-and-white art brings the wilds of both high school and Alaska to life. As in the first book (I Love Him to Pieces, 2011), the romance and scares are real, but light, and make for a thoroughly enjoyable read." --Booklist
"Graphic novel format—check! High school stereotypes—check! Girl meets boy—check! Horror, suspense, romance—check! Humor—check! Girl saves boy—wait, what?! If the remaining four volumes in this series are as well-written and illustrated and as much fun as these first two titles, purchasing multiple copies is a must. Think 'fractured fairy tales' goes 'horror.' The first volume is a riff on zombies; the second on Frankenstein. These titles can be used as tie-ins for classic monster novels and TV/movies. They will appeal to broad range of readers. Consider suggesting them to some of your advanced placement students who could use a fun, fast read to break the stress. Be prepared for these titles to fly off the shelves." --Library Media Connection
