An exciting trip to New York City turns terrifying when megalomaniac Hilda the witch attacks with an overwhelming army of elusive Shadowmongers, who can suck the magic from monsters and, as 10-year-old Theodora discovers, give ordinary humans nightmares for life. As the good monsters, who raised her in cozy Appleton village, gather under the leadership of her fierce (and well-wrapped) Mummy for a desperate last stand, an enigmatic ally slithers in to help Theodora. Though this work is eminently readable as a brisk, uncomplicated, good-vs.-evil dust-up with a notably diverse cast of creepy and not-so-creepy creatures and a happy (if rather fortuitous) ending, Kopy slips in a few wrinkles. Pale, redheaded Theodora’s long-absent birth mother reappears, so she must adjust to having both a Mum and a Mummy in the picture. And though most nonmagical people can’t see through the monsters’ concealing glamours, some do, an ability that leads to a deeply uncomfortable social situation as well as a newfound appreciation for true friends. Otherwise, all comes round right at the close, and though the story has moments of real terror, closing celebrations and Hunt’s interior illustrations help to defuse them.
