The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo

Charles, a heavyset kid in a baseball cap, fancies himself a hard-hitting journalist; he already has his own blog. After his parents move to Echo City to renovate a decrepit apartment building, it doesn’t take long for a news item to emerge: a terrifying, snaggle-toothed monster looms over his bed on his first night. The next day, Charles’s new friend Kevin passes him a business card for one Margo Maloo, Monster Mediator. “They say monsters are afraid of her,” Kevin says. “Don’t show it to any grown-ups!” In the adventures that follow, Charles plays a bumbling Watson to Margo’s chilly Sherlock: “You don’t know how stupid you sound right now,” she snaps. The world of monsters Margo introduces Charles to produces endless surprises, as when he discovers that his building’s resident monster has a better collection of Battlebeanz figurines than he does. Weing’s (Set to Sea) artwork combines urban landscapes with an exhaustive interest in monster forms and the way they appear in the dim light of basements. It’s a beautifully conceived and executed trio of stories, and readers will hope that more installments are on the way. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)