October seems to lead no where but to Halloween. In the Children’s Department of the Pine Bush Area Public Library, we have a weird book called Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex. It is either a picture book or an elongated poetry book, but it is on the Chapter book Shelves, in with books for grades three to six. It’s not in the Picture book Section. Read it before October 31.

Frankenstein’s Monster is getting married to the Bride of Frankenstein. (Good choice.) Frankie appears in a white jacket and black tie and looks rather spiffy. His Bride (they never give her first name) has a running argument with her mother, who is upset because her daughter died and they went into debt getting her buried, and now, here she is back again and they have to pay for her wedding.

The book is written as a series of poems. They aren’t all about the wedding. There are comments on the Sphinx, Medusa, and King Kong. (“No One Comes to Skull Island Anymore.” If you don’t have tourists willing to be eaten by pterodactyls, you will go out of business.) The Abominable Snowman and the Yeti are scaring the poor little flower girl witless. The Headless Horseman and his head problem keeps appearing, and Edgar Allan Poe seems to have writer’s block.

Back to the wedding, “The Caterer of Frankenstein Makes an Announcement.”
“Listen up! This is the day we’ve been dreading, We’re serving the guests of the Frankenstein wedding. So, please heed these warnings and plan for the worst, if you want to avoid getting eaten or cursed…..The wolf men hate silverware. Don’t give it to them. No drinks for the skeletons—wine goes right through them. Let’s see now…is that all I wanted to say? Oh! We’re no longer serving the cherries flambe. Yes, I know this is coming right down to the wire, but the
Frankenstein family has problems with fire.”

The different poems go on from there, with the Bride of Frankenstein making up her own wedding vows, and Dracula, who is the Best Man, visiting the buffet and discovering garlic
bread.

Assume that you have been invited to this wedding, and get this book from the Pine Bush Library. The pictures are priceless, and Halloween will be here sooner than you think.