PUBLISHERS WEEKLY --Those mostly familiar with Naifeh's work on HollyBlack's Good Neighbors trilogy will find Courtney Crumrin's firstadventures revelatory of what he's capable of on his own. In this opening story,middle-schooler Courtney moves into the house of her creepy great-uncle Aloysiusand finds more to occupy her time than constant disdain for her upwardly mobileand downwardly aware parents. Her new life includes the monsters--realmonsters--that lurk in the woods, as well as another kind in her new school: agang of elitist bullies who have no idea of the supernatural underbelly thatsurrounds them. Courtney soon discovers that the worlds of monsters and humansinteract more than anyone imagines, and both interest and duty demand that shedabble with her uncle's dark arts to combat the evils. It's a chance for themismatched relatives to bond and provides the sweet center of Naifeh's darkcomedy. In the end, Courtney's a highly relatable heroine for younger readers.Ages 12-up.
