Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book #1: The Onts

From School Library Journal Grade 3-5–The influence of Lemony Snicket looms large in this mock gothic tale. The 10-year-old Shluffmuffin twins long to be adopted out of the Jolly Days Orphanage. Unfortunately, Cheyenne's constant nose-dripping allergies and Wally's vile-smelling feet repulse most prospective parents. The elderly Mandible sisters, however, are oddly elated over the children's hygiene issues and take them home, on trial, to their weird mansion deep in Dripping Fang Forest. The Onts, as the old ladies want to be called, provide comfortable rooms and delicious chocolate meals, but they warn the youngsters never to go into the cellar. Suspicious Wally does just that, and discovers that the sinister seniors are really giant ants in disguise, plotting to raise an army of ravenous oversized insects to reclaim the universe from humankind. This episode ends before the kids can alert the rest of the world, but a sequel is certainly being spun. Adults may be put off by the constant references to snot and boogers, but fans of the genre take this sort of thing in stride. Eerie black-and-white drawings complement the heavily tongue-in-cheek plot. While this is a bit over-the-top even for this genre, it is worth considering where demand for Snicket-style fantasy is especially strong.