This quick read tells the story of Robert and what happens when his very messy closet gets out of hand. Robert lives with him mom, dad, older sister Libby and younger brother Tippin (Kevin). Robert is a good kid but he tends to let his closet be the place that he throws everything: discarded science experiments, books he's never read, clothes, and just junk. What happens when all of that stuff melts together to create a creature totally out of his control? Wonkenstein, that's what. This little guy who is half Frankenstein/half Willy Wonka creates trouble for Robert but also helps him discover things about himself.
Our third and fourth grade readers really enjoyed this book. We worked together on fill-in-the-blanks of "the character I wouldn't want to share a closet with is____" and "create your own character from a mix of literary characters you've read about". The answers were pretty funny. Andreas wouldn't want to share a locker with Robert (probably because he's so messy!) while Cameron created a creature who is part headless Hansel and Gretel/part unicorn/part butterfly monster. Ben wouldn't want to share a closet with Miss Lisa, though he didn't explain why. :)
All in all, our reader response to this book was good. It averaged a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The book for March's Children's Book Club, to be held on Wednesday, March 7th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. is Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet by Kirk Scroggs. Hope to see you there!
