Lee Cosgrove

Lisa Marie and her brother Vernon are taking a trip downtown to buy their dad a present. It's not as fun as it sounds though - Vernon isn't the best big brother, insistent on reminding everyone that Lisa Marie is only his stepsister and then there's his "incessant" moaning. Lisa Marie is smart, interested in the world around her, and kind even when people are mean, but Vernon never appreciates her.

I've read a lot of books with nasty siblings and freely admit that I was delighted when Vernon show more got his comeuppance. So, they go to Create-a-Ted, because the store is giving away free bears. Lisa Marie is worried about the previous owners (she's a big teddy fan and is also in the habit of fixing the stuffing machine for the owners) and the new owner is creepy, to put it mildly, but they end up making an Elvis bear for Lisa Marie's dad and creepy Halloween bears for each other.

Halloween night, after a rather uncomfortable trick-or-treating session (Vernon's nasty friends steal Lisa Marie's candy and, as usual, he's too wimpy to stand up for her) Lisa Marie is awoken by her witch bear... coming to life.

It turns out that the "new" store owner (he tricked the old ones into leaving) has stolen a scientific invention that brings stuffed bears to life and sent all the creepy bears out into the town to steal for him. Not only that, they have evil magic and the witch bear turns Lisa Marie's parents into a toad and a slug! Things seem bad, but then they get worse - the bear Vernon made is a combination of all bad things, from demon to vampire - and it's got an even more evil plan to take over the town and then the world!

Luckily, with the help of Elvis bear and Lisa Marie's smarts, they just might have a chance - if only Vernon can do the right thing for once and stick up for his little sister.

Goofy black and white cartoons are scattered throughout the book and while there are some Britishisms, and it's definitely got that wacky British humor, it's not foreign enough to turn off the (admittedly insular) majority of my library audience.

Verdict: Funny, gruesome, and very satisfying! The story ends satisfactorily, but with enough loose ends to make room for the sequels. Hand to fans of Attack of the fluffy bunnies, Mo O'hara, and Tom O'Donnell.

ISBN: 9780593174289; Published May 2020 by Delacorte; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less