Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions (#1) - Hardcover

Grau, Sheila

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1419713701 ISBN 13: 9781419713705

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2015

Synopsis

Welcome to Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions, the premier trainer of minions for Evil Overlords everywhere. No student is prouder to be at Dr. Critchlore’s than Runt Higgins, a twelve-year-old werewolf. (At least he thinks he’s twelve. He was abandoned at the school as a baby, so he can’t say for sure.) Runt loves everything about Dr. Critchlore’s. He loves his classes—like History of Henchmen and Introduction to Explosives. He loves his friends—like Darthin the gargoyle and Syke the tree nymph. And he loves his foster family, who took him in when his wolf pack couldn’t.
            But not everyone loves Dr. Critchlore’s as much as Runt. After a series of disasters, each worse than the next, it’s clear that someone is trying to shut the school down. It’s up to Runt, who knows the place better than anybody, to figure out who’s behind the attacks . . . and to save his home, and Dr. Critchlore himself, from total destruction.  
Praise for Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions
“An Addams Family for a new generation, filled with bizarre, peculiar, and sometimes downright silly characters. Readers, whether evil or not, are going to love the imaginative world that is Dr. Critchlore’s.” —Michael Buckley, bestselling author of the NERDS and Sisters Grimm series

“Werewolves, minions, evil overlords, junior henchmen, AND terrifying girl explorers. Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions has got it covered. Clever and funny. I laughed throughout!” —Andrea Beaty, author of Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies and the bestselling Rosie Revere, Engineer

"Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions is one cool ghoul school, but behind the monstrous mayhem and creepy, comedic antics is a heartfelt theme of friendship. Evil Overlords need not force their minions to enjoy this spooktacular romp!" —Tony DiTerlizzi, co-creator of The Spiderwick Chronicles

“A droll addition to the magical school genre, worthy of a seat toward the front of the (Harry) Potter-wagon.” —Kirkus Reviews

 

About this title

About the Author:

Sheila Grau is a writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and four children. Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions is her first book.
 
Joe Sutphin has been illustrating since he was small. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–6—Runt Higgins is a werewolf. Well, sort of. He swears he turned once when he was seven, but his canines just won't come in. Luckily, Runt attends Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions, where "Slow and steady wins the race, if you have minions to sabotage your opponent." In her debut, Grau introduces a contemporary fantasy world that is a perfect blend of Hogwarts and Monsters University. Readers learn quickly, however, that all is not well in minion-land. Something is amiss at the School, and Runt is sniffing out the trouble. Backed by a humorous band of friends—Syke the half-nymph, Eloni the troll, and Frank 25, who can't keep his head on straight (literally)—Runt is on a mission to expose the evildoers sabotaging his school. Dr. Critcholore's is well paced, despite an overly pat resolution, complete with twists, red herrings, and zombies. The narrative is sometimes distracted by an overuse of canine-inspired expletives ("Dog Whistles!"), and readers are likely to be skeptical of the just-add-water friendship that blossoms in the last few chapters, but the humor alone keeps this one going. If readers still need convincing, just turn to one of the fantastic illustrations of zombies. Recommended for advanced elementary school readers and reluctant middle graders, this will appeal to a wide audience.—Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1419713701
• ISBN 13: 9781419713705
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288
• Illustrator: Sutphin Joe