Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich

Written by Adam Rex

Narrated by L.J. Ganser

Garnering starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by acclaimed children's book author and illustrator Adam Rex is a collection of uproarious poems about everyone's favorite spooky monsters, including Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot, and Godzilla. "The book is fresh, creative, and funny, with just enough gory detail to cause a few gasps. Kids will eat it up."-School Library Journal

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 3, 2008
• ISBN: 9781436116831

Adam Rex

Adam Rex is the author of many books, including Cold Cereal and Unlucky Charms, the first two books in the Cold Cereal Saga; the New York Times bestselling picture books The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors and Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich; the middle grade novel The True Meaning of Smekday (now a major motion picture from Dreamworks, Home); and the teen novel Fat Vampire. He lives in Arizona with his wife.

Reviews for Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich

[tsmom1219 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent illustrations and silly verse made this very popular with my daughter's fourth grade class. The grossness was at just the right level for them.

[hopeevey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The poems about the Phantom of the Opera made this book for me :)

[texvelis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful to share with children fun to read for adults.

[vintagereader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Clever, hilarious, and of course, delightfully illustrated.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lots of short stories about all the different monsters. Lots of rhyming and silliness and included some monsters I wouldn't have thought of. I found them all pretty funny particularly phantom of the opera and his musical issues.

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The existence of such a book (found at the UU church rummage sale, of course) made me realize that there are more kids like my son in this world! It's like the book was made just for him. We read some of the poems aloud to our neighbor, laying on a blanket in our yard, and I could see that she was thinking...."okay...weird," which is the normal response one would have, I think. However, this book could be a portal for the average adult into Morgan's world. Poems narrate the everyday dilemmas of many famous literary monsters (such as not being able to get a stupid song out of one's head, experienced by the Phantom of the Opera, or not being able to borrow lunch meat from your neighbors to make a sandwich because they all run from you screaming when you approach them, as experienced by Frankenstein). The illustrations delight and poems solicit volcanic bouts of laughter, but not to everyone. It's perfect for a 9-year-old who is obsessed with monsters, enjoys poems, and still laughs into cramping fits at fart jokes.

[slsmitty25 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Every now and then a book gets ordered for our library that shouldn't have been....this is one of those. It is obviously a children's book and not meant for high schoolers...though I'm sure there are some who would enjoy it! Luckily, we have a child care course of study program that has student's analyzing children's books so we'll add it to that list.

I did borrow it however to share with my two young daughters. They loved it! They enjoyed the pictures, silly faces and clever rhymes. They especially liked singing along to Dracula's poems which are scattered throughout the book. I would recommend this for young children or as a story read aloud especially with Halloween coming up!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book really cracked me up! I'm sure that all the business people with whom I commute every day must think I'm a lunatic, as I'm always cracking open these HUGE picture-books on the morning train-ride (right next to their slim, elegant Kindles), and either sniffling into the pages (Patricia Polacco, I'm looking at you!) or laughing out loud. Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, a collection of monstrously magical (or should that be magically monstrous?) poems by Adam Rex, was one of the laugh-out-loud titles...With selections like The Yeti Doesn't Appreciate Being Called Bigfoot and Bigfoot Can't Believe You Called Him Yeti Just Now, in which the two enormous creatures slam one another, a running joke about the Phantom of the Opera, who can't seem to get certain songs out of his head, and a hilarious visit by Dracula Jr. to a truly scary creature (the dentist), there is a lot here to keep readers entertained. The poems themselves make for a great read-aloud, and the accompanying illustrations emphasize the humor of each piece. It's another winner from Adam Rex! I will definitely be looking for the sequel, Frankenstein Takes the Cake...

[jenstrongin-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Addison seemed to like these poems but I did not particularly enjoy the poetry or the style of illustration.

[diamonddog_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With the mix of off-the-wall humor and a hodgepodge of illustrating styles this books lures you in with the first poem. Adam Rex touches on all the big named monsters (Frankenstein, Invisible Man, etc)and puts them in wacky situations, such as the Phantom of the Opera trying to write a song but having "It's a small world" stuck in his head. The poems, with their catchy clever lines, will have you chuckling in amazement at Rex's creativity and wit! One of my daughters favorite books in second grade. She does love all sorts of ghoulish monsters and food though!

[4bebe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is full of funny poems about all my favorite monsters!

[salimbol · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A rather delightful picture book that was one of the All Hallows Read recommendations on Tor.com the other week, in which Frankenstein makes a sandwich, the Phantom of the Opera gets annoying songs stuck in his head, and Medusa and the Invisible Man go to the hairdressers. Clever and whimsical.

[ashlynprill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"You think you've got problems? Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot - now they have problems. Monster-sized. You try to address Dracula's hygiene issues. And don't even get me started on the Phantom of the Opera. Really... just read the book."One of the most clever poetry books that I've seen for children, this book is full of fun characters with their everyday life problems from going to the dentist to getting songs stuck in your head. The illustrations are captivating and giving so many asides to the text; Coincidentally, the author has also put in many textual asides, making this a very cohesive and all-around, well designed book.

[llpollac · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich" reveals the problems of the monster world through poetry. From how to tell Dracula that he has spinach in his teeth to the haircut dilemmas of the Invisible Man, this collection of light verse shows the less glamorous side of being a monster. A particular delight is the recurring failure of the Phantom of the Opera to get songs out of his head, with the resulting poems being set to the tunes of those songs. Rich, painterly oil illustrations, full of extras and bonus poems, accompany the text. The verse flows well, and would work well as a read-aloud. This is a smart, literate book that will delight first-graders and older as a read-aloud, and fourth-grade and older as an independent read. Highly recommended.

[jkessluk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is a clever and fun Halloween themed poems that would be entertaining to read to children as Halloween closes in. This set of poems are all about monsters, but still has an appeal for adults with its suddle nuances.

[lnpowers_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The poems were well written and easy to read. The illustrations add to the text by creating the world of each monster in a very individualized manner. I thought this book was very clever but better for older children who have encountered these characters already.This book could be used for a Halloween program where the children dress up and are read this book about different monster characters.

[adriannebaker85 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Adam Rex’s “Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich: and other stories you’re sure to like, because they’re all about monsters, and some of them are also about food. You like food, don’t you? Well, all right then.” (long title!) is a book of poetry in picture book format meant for children. It features a series of poems about well known monsters and people such as ‘The Phantom of the Opera can’t get ‘It’s a Small World’ out of his head”, “The Invisible Man gets a haircut”, and “Bigfoot can’t believe you called him Yeti just now”. These all feature humorous twists on characters we have grown up with.This book is hilarious! I don’t know how they got away with the 5-10 age range, as there are subtle nuances in the text and pictures that are obviously meant for an adult audience. There is very clever use of language and illustrations that make it a book that can be enjoyed by a much wider range of audience. One thing that took me a second read before I got it was the Phantom of the Opera’s poems scatted throughout the book. If you read the words according to the song it is talking about the words fit with the tune! Very intelligent. I would recommend this book to ANYONE with a sense of humour. Coincidentally, I am purchasing a copy of this book for my 32 year old brother for Christmas.

[alliek710 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would use this book in my classroom, obviously in my poetry section, and read it outloud because boys and girls would love it.

[dylantanner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A series of silly poems and songs riffing on classic movie monsters and popular culture.Children's poetry/ Picture BookI love this book. Some poems are funnier than others, but Rex's illustrations are phenomenal. The poems that are funny are so funny.I read this at Halloween to first graders and they died laughing. some of the less punch-liney ones i skipped, but the Phantom of the Opera singing "It's a Small World After All" was a BIG hit. We sang it all together!

[the_hag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With a full title of: Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Other Stories You're Sure to Like Because They're All About Monsters and Some of Them Are Also About Food. You Like Food Don't You? Well, All Right Then, how could you not help but want to read this book! The table of contents for this book is presented menu style, many with clever subtitles letting the reader know right from the start that they are in for an unusual treat indeed. The menu contains 21 witty and very humorous items...complete with a running joke about the Phantom of the Opera and tunes (like Small World After All and the Girl from Ipanema) stuck in his head making it impossible for him to compose. The central theme, as you might well guess from the title is monsters...this book covers pretty much every classic movie monster out there, from Frankenstein to Dracula and even includes the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a brief appearance by Godzilla (well, his poo anyway...because what kids books isn't complete with some type of poo reference, heh). Pst...it's even got Zombies! With such an ensemble menu, one might wonder if it's a good idea after all to give this book to young kids...you need not fear this book being overly scary, in fact it's done in such an interesting, engaging, and humorous way that the scares are most welcome! Even better, the book has witty gags and jokes for kids AND the adults reading to them which makes for great reading in my opinion...it's always nice when an kid's author adds levels that might go over kid's heads so that the adults reading get a little chuckle out of the book too. What's could be better than ironic poems about monsters in humorous and rather unusual situations...like Frankenstein making a yummy snack from food lobbed at him by the mob or Dracula with spinach stuck in his teeth? Well, that would be the artwork! It's utterly gorgeous and truly a feast for the eyes. Kids will find those at least (if not more) engaging than the poems that go with them because they are so full of rich color and detail...I mean the expression on Dracula's face is just divine! This is one story that kids will ask you to read (and visually peruse) over and over. There is only one menu item that didn't go over well with my kids (the bit about Jekyll and Mr. Henderson), but overall, it's a monstrous success that makes me want to run out and buy copies for all my friends weather they've got kids or not! I give this five stars and I'll definitely be adding a copy to our permanent library. Do yourself a favor and get a copy for your little monster lover, you won't regret it!

[omphalos02 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely wonderful "collection" of rhymes and drawings by Rex. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

[verbafacio · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great read for kids with a dark sense of humor. Rex goes behind the scenes of monster stories to bring you moments from the everyday lives of Frankenstein, Wolfman, and others. Beautiful, quirky illustrations.

[greggd_13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent funny poems for Halloween, or for any monster fans

[adge73 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is HYSTERICAL. If you love monsters (HELLO, who doesn't?), this is just really, really totally fun. And it's even better if you read it out loud.