The Monster Variations

Publishers Weekly

Kraus's stark debut never quite feels completely comfortable in its own skin, but still delivers a moving story and points to a huge amount of potential for the author. When the summer begins with two accidents in which children are hit by a truck—one is killed and the other loses his arm—a curfew is imposed in Kraus's unnamed town. Determined to enjoy themselves, three 12-year-olds—Reggie, James and Willie (the maimed first victim of the mysterious driver)—go on adventures including breaking into school, stealing the skeletal “monster” an older boy keeps in his barn and investigating the school bully's possible ties to the killer. The bully, Mel, is easily the most intriguing character, volatile and socially inept, but also brilliant and artistic. Kraus meshes the uncertainty of adolescence with the dangerous knowledge of an adult world in which people have affairs and kill children—the boys' growing awareness of this world is the true horror. An unnecessary framing sequence and the general absence of girls (even as objects of the boys' attention) undermine the book's intensity, but the tragic ending is still powerful. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—During the summer that James and Reggie are 12 years old, someone hits two boys with a pickup truck, killing one and maiming the other. Willie, also 12 and friends with the boys, loses his arm when the truck driver leaves him for dead. Willie is small and nerdy, overly sheltered by his parents. Reggie is a tough guy being raised by a single mom. James's parents are grooming him for success, always reminding him to stay focused and out of trouble. After the accidents, the town imposes a curfew on children, but this only makes the boys more eager to spend their summer nights out of doors. Between worrying about the killer, dodging curfew, and growing up and away from their parents, the three friends have a summer of violence and change. In a clear, but expressive style, Kraus offers readers brutality, death, anger, lies, and a monster in a box. (It's created out of animal parts, and a teenager shows it to people, for a price.) Young men often have a rough time getting through puberty, and this story touches on all the murkiest parts of that journey. While this coming-of-age tale is often gloomy, the main story line is bracketed by scenes in which Reggie and James are on the cusp of adulthood and these moments offer readers hope.—Geri Diorio, The Ridgefield Library, CT

Kirkus Reviews

The summer they turned 12, three boys lost parts of themselves: James lost his family and friends, Reggie lost his tough-guy facade and Willie lost his left arm. As he prepares to leave town for college, James remembers that summer and how the invulnerability of childhood quickly succumbed to the ravages of adulthood. Instead of a dark coming-of-age thriller, however, Kraus offers readers a jumble of teen-literature conceits with muddled language, dull characters and a rambling plot. Outside of vocabulary tests, few sixth-grade boys use words like "exquisite" or "penitent," and obtuse chapter titles are needless affectations. The author writes James's passive nature into apathy, which transfers to readers. Willie's quick acceptance of handicapped life borders on saccharine, and the lack of internal exploration over the change appears disingenuous. Reggie's obsession with the class loner feels cheap, a forced way for him to deal with his own home circumstances. Lacking cohesion, the action falls to shambles, leaving readers with a bundle of words, shadowy characters and played-out literary techniques. (Fiction. YA)