The Werewolf: ISBN 978-1-60152-238-2 eBook: 978-1-60152-239-9
The Sphinx: ISBN 978-1-60152-222-1 eBook: 978-1-60152-223-8
Giants: ISBN 978-1-60152-224-5 eBook: 978-1-60152-225-2
School Library Journal, June 2012

Gr 4–8 All three books look at the history, associated mythology, and place of these subjects in the modern era. Readers wil enjoy the references to current popular culture such as the werewolves in the "Twilight" series and the half giant, Hagrid, from the "Harry Potter" series. The books are text heavy with a few pictures sprinkled throughout. "Did you know?" sidebars offer more interesting tidbits of information. The material is laid out in short chapters to keep even reluctant readers intersted. Children will get a well-rounded look at the featured subjects and how they have evolved into the creatures that still fascinated many today.
—Kris Hickey

Frankenstein: ISBN 978-1-60152-180-4 / eBook: 978-1-60152-318-1
Medusa: ISBN 978-1-60152-181-1 / eBook: 978-1-60152-319-8
The Mummy: ISBN 978-1-60152-182-8 / eBook: 978-1-60152-320-4
Trolls: ISBN 978-1-60152-183-5 / eBook: 978-1-60152-321-1
Booklist, December 1, 2011

The Monsters and Mythical Creatures series continues to be an ideal starting point for young researchers interested in the weird, mysterious, and paranormal. Using fleet, descriptive prose to communicate the impressively researched (and sourced) facts, these medium-length works manage to rope in just about everything, from folklore to history to pop culture. The bulk of Frankenstein focuses upon Mary Shelley's masterpiece, not just the infamous contest for which it was written, but the reception and critical analysis, both then and now. Medusa goes into the monster's roots in Greek storytelling before delving more deeply into Homer's Iliad, the story of Perseus, and the Gorgon's appearance in art, theater, opera, and more. The Mummy begins with the seminal 1932 Boris Karloff film before backtracking into the worldwide "mummy lust" that began with the 1922 discovery of King Tut's tomb and all the subsequent curses and legends. Trolls is perhaps the most impressive volume, twining together the various strands of Norse legends into a coherent, readable, eye-opening narrative that begins in the ninth-century and ends with Harry Potter. The layout is a bit bland, but the illustrations are fine and varied, the sidebars always illuminating, and the back matter robust. Monster hunters, come and get 'em.

Aliens: ISBN 978-1-60152-145-3 / eBook: 978-1-60152-356-3
Cyclops: ISBN 978-1-60152-146-0 / eBook: 978-1-60152-357-0
Demons: ISBN 978-1-60152-147-7 / eBook: 978-1-60152-358-7
Dragons: ISBN 978-1-60152-148-4 / eBook: 978-1-60152-359-4
Goblins: ISBN 978-1-60152-149-1 / eBook: 978-1-60152-360-0
Water Monsters: ISBN 978-1-60152-136-1 / eBook: 978-1-60152-345-7
Zombies: ISBN 978-1-60152-150-7 / eBook: 978-1-60152-361-7
Library Media Connection, October 1, 2011

Who doesn’t like a scary story? Students will enjoy reading these titles for their information about mythological creatures as well as the potentially “real” varieties. To satisfy this fascination these titles provide stories, pictures, and speculation on the existence of monsters. This series is an interesting alternative to all of the vampire books which are so popular today. Color photos and drawings as well as sidebars and source notes add information. Bibliography. Websites. Index.

Demons: ISBN 978-1-60152-147-7 eBook: 978-1-60152-358-7
Booklist, August 1, 2011

This entry in the Monsters and Mythical Creatures series certainly makes demons seem real. Beginning with an introduction that explains the origins of the devilish creatures, the book discusses demon-like entities throughout cultures and religions. Satan, the most important biblical evil entity, gets a full description. The book also provides information about demons' abilities, such as shape-shifting, manipulating time, and, of course, human possession, and exorcism is given several pages. With devils such a prevalent part of so many cultures, there are plenty of images to choose from, and the book's visuals, which include contemporary photos of ceremonies and artists' renderings of demons, can be quite startling. Excellent sidebars, some only a sentence or two, cover topics such as the number of exorcists in the Catholic Church. Source notes and a bibliography complete this frightening, informative package.

Zombies: ISBN 978-1-60152-150-7 / eBook: 978-1-60152-361-7
Booklist, April 1, 2011

It's easy to view zombies as a relatively recent pop phenomenon. But in this volume from the Monsters and Mythical Creatures series, Woog makes a strong case that the pervasiveness of this macabre concept stretches way back—all the way to The Epic of Gilgamesh. In a first section that is as fascinating and haunting as it is weakly sourced (all too often the source is an unnamed "researcher"), Woog takes us through what might be evidence of zombies in ancient Egypt and Rome and inserts the shambling flesheaters into every historical mystery under the sun—the vanishing of the Mayans, the disappearance at Roanoke, etc. Later chapters delve into the drug-induced zombies of Haiti (where there are 1,000 new reports of zombification a year), lingering over important writers who have covered that culture, like Zora Neale Hurston and Wade Davis. Woog finishes with a survey of cinema, literature, video games, and more. "Did You Know?" boxes are even more problematic in their mix of fact and fiction, but at least abundant horror-film stills keep the layout nice and ghoulish.

Goblins: ISBN 978-1-60152-149-1 / eBook: 978-1-60152-360-0
Demons: ISBN 978-1-60152-147-7 / eBook: 978-1-60152-358-7
Aliens: ISBN 978-1-60152-145-3 / eBook: 978-1-60152-356-3
Dragons: ISBN 978-1-60152-148-4 / eBook: 978-1-60152-359-4
Cyclops: ISBN 978-1-60152-146-0 / eBook: 978-1-60152-357-0
Water Monsters: ISBN 978-1-60152-136-1 / eBook: 978-1-60152-345-7
Zombies: ISBN 978-1-60152-150-7 / eBook: 978-1-60152-361-7
School Library Journal, April 2011

Gr 8 Up Well written and well researched, each title describes the characteristics of a monster: its origins in literature or lore, its physical appearance, instances in which people believe they interacted with it, and hoaxes. Occasional "Did You Know?" sidebars offer compelling factoids such as, "The ancient Chinese traded a substance said to be dragon saliva to use in making perfume" (Dragons). The authors consistently use the words "myth," "literature," and "folklore" to drive home the idea that the creatures in question are not real. As in the "Unexplained Phenomena" series, the title on demons is a poor fit for a series aimed at young readers, even teens, since few people actually believe in the existence of aliens, dragons, and the like, but some religions teach that demons are real. Also, while the other volumes describe a goblin's appearance in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and how Greeks imagined a Cyclops looked, Demons deals with possessions, exorcisms (one of which resulted in a 2005 crucifixion), Ouija boards, and spirit communications in the modern-day world. A few series are standouts. Bellwether Media's "The Unexplained" showcases informative yet accessible writing and attractive layout designed to appeal to struggling readers. QEB's "QEB Unexplained" offers potential curriculum tie-ins. ReferencePoint's "Monsters and Mythical Creatures" is well written and its research is documented. Because that series is the only one that cites its sources, the others reviewed here will have limited use for reports and research. Still, monsters, aliens, and the like are of perennial interest to many young readers, so it behooves librarians to consider some of the titles for recreational reading, except the ones about demons, as mentioned above.