If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that I created a monster recently. My daughter is definitely a reader and she also loves getting ARCs to read ahead of publication dates…which means that I need to read and review some extra books since she can’t exactly review them herself (she’s eight, give her time). So enters MISFIT MANSION, a middle grade graphic novel by Kay Davault.
Iris has never felt like she’s belonged in the mansion that is filled with kelpies, gorgons, unicorns and more, especially since it seems like her human guardian Mr. Halloway loves everyone in the home except her. She longs to find a family of her own, but it’s hard when she and her housemates are locked inside the mansion at all times “for their protection.” One night, a human boy named Mathias breaks the spell keeping them locked inside and Iris and her friends descend upon the nearby town of Dead End Springs. As the horrors make human friends and find a space for them in the human world, secrets are revealed that could threaten everything.
This was a fun, quick read filled with little lessons along the way! There is a beautiful found family, both within the mansion and amongst the townspeople. Even though Iris and her housemates are the “monsters,” they are the ones who are living in fear rather than the human townspeople which is a fun twist to a monster story. The illustrations are beautifully done and absolutely adorable. There is a bit of a mystery and a twist that I didn’t see coming and, though there is a point where there is danger, the stakes never felt too high where I was overly anxious for our friends.
MISFIT MANSION by Kay Davault is available now and you can pick up a copy for yourself or your younger reader here.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate link above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will also be supporting indie bookstores like my local fave Linden Tree Books without whom this review would not be possible! If you prefer Amazon, visit my Amazon storefront and click on the list titled "2023 Book Recommendations."
