'Dracula Marries Frankenstein' by Susan Schade with illustrations by Jon Buller is a part graphic novel, part prose book. It's also the second book in the Anne of Green Bagels series, which I liked better.

This time out Anne and Otto and company want to make a monster movie. When they suddenly (?) spy a creepy looking castle, they realize it's perfect. Now they just have to get permission from the homeowner and write a script. The problems occur when the homeowner stumbles upon the movie set and has a raging fit over the idea of a same sex movie being filmed on her property. A viral video goes live and things get worse before they get better.

This book alternates between text and comics like the first one, but I liked the first one more because the comics were Anne's weird dreams. This time around the story feels more rushed and there are lots, maybe too many, things going on. The art is still good, and overall it was ok.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Papercutz and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this as the illustrations never loaded.

This book, that manages to be half graphic novel and half straight prose distinguishes itself by being completely black and white and blue, and no other colours... and that's about it. Basically there are some children (that the artwork manages to present looking as if they're 30) who want to make a horror film. They hire the local weird woman's mansion, and she turns out to be a homophobe, because of her making a film herself in the past featuring walking vegetables, and a guy in it she fancied fancied another guy in it. The end. Do I even need to say it's shit? And no, my knowing the earlier books in the series would not have redeemed this pile of poo whatsoever.

This book is so odd... I would have liked it better if it was all comic and no prose. The illustrations are not that exciting and the homophobic feel this book gave me left me with a sour aftertaste.

This is a fun story about a group of school kids making a monster film during their summer holidays. The format was a little odd, alternating between graphic novel and regular novel; it did come across a little bit like the artist got bored of drawing the whole thing. I would have preferred a regular graphic novel.

What an odd book! Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, but it was just a bit different. Which is nice. These mixes of prose and sequential art are interesting - are they new or enjoying a resurgence?

It was definitely an interesting story. Though I hope that young people don’t get out of it that people always change in such positive ways so quickly - especially on their own. Or that people have actually have experiences that lead them to abandon their prejudice; they usually don’t.

Anne and her friends are trying to think of something to do. Anne thinks making a movie is a fun project for the summer. Anne gets permission from a scarey lady that has a house that looks like a castle. The owner is Augusta Herringbone. As they are "filming" the wedding, Augusta screams "stop, I will not have two male monsters marrying each other. It is wrong." Anne and her friends are upset as they don't know how they will finish their movie. Will the film get finished? Why is Augusta upset about the marriage?

While reading the story, I found myself smiling and laughing. For all the seriousness of making a film, it was funny the problems that come up. I enjoyed this story very much and so will you!

This middle grade book has EVERYTHING! Drama, forbidden love, a woman scorned, freedom to express one's creativity, underwater living AND Dracula and Frankenstein. What more could you need? Movie making is hard, just ask Anne of Green Bagels!

Cute, if not altogether cohesive, book for kids about homophobia, intolerance, and the redemptive power of change. This makes it sound much more lofty than it is. It's a silly little story about some kids who decide to make a movie about Dracula marrying Frankenstein's monster and the fallout that occurs when the homophobic rant of the town's richest recluse is caught in camera. Good for children whose reading is not yet focused on narrative. 2.5 stars.

I really wanted to like this book, but it bounced back and forth being a graphic novel and a narrative that just didn't work. The story seemed kind of disjointed at times as well.

I didn't care for this graphic novel sadly. I felt like the messages were all weird and I just didn't like it. I also didn't care for the artwork.

Anne and her friend Otto decide they want to make a horror movie. They need to find a filming location and decide that Herringbone Hall is ideal because it looks really scary and creepy. Off they trot to ask Augusta Herringbone if they can use her house. Augusta listens to their idea and says she must first discuss it with her rock friends before deciding. Otto tells Augusta that the large rock says that he's always wanted to be in a movie. After some discussion, Augusta says that the filming can go ahead as the rock states that it will be good for the legacy of Herringbone.

Anne's father is building a mini sub to enable him to travel back and forth to the underwater lab where he works. When he has finished, he takes Anne and her mum for a ride in it. He has also told Anne that he has been trying to speak with Augusta Herringbone about some funding for the underwater project.

Filming starts at Herringbone Hall. Brendan, one of the other Green Bagels gang members, has always wanted to play the part of Dracula. The gang decide that the film is going to be called 'Dracula Marries Frankenstein'. The part of Frankenstein is being played by Gregory, Augusta Herringbone's butler.

The next part of the storyline is in my opinion quite controversial and has the potential to be seen as offensive to the LGBT community. Augusta Herringbone when she finds out that the movie is about a Gay marriage, she starts shouting a tirade of homophobic comments. The author does explain in the story why Augusta has this vitriolic hatred and later in the story does apologise and admit that she was wrong to react in that way. The story shows how Anne and the other kids can't understand why Augusta is reacting like this because Gay marriage is perfectly legal. However, Anne says that the movie is a comedy and the graphics/dialogue do show this. The author, though I am sure that this is not what the author was trying to get across in the story, is basically giving the wrong impression about gay relationships/marriage. Perhaps the author could amend this part of the story somehow, so as not to cause any potential incorrect impressions or offence.

The end of the story shows Augusta going to live in the underwater kingdom.

The graphics are good.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy in return for my honest opinion.

I don't remember the first <em> Anne of Green Bagelss </em> book other than I was unimpressed.

I was prepared for more of the same, but this mix of a chapter book and a graphic novel moved along well, as sthe kids in the book decided they wanted to make a monster film where Dracula. Married Frankenstein's monster. None of them thought, oh, that will be a same sex marriage, they just thought that would be a funny horror movie.

It isn't until Augusta, whose house they are filming at, learns what the movie is about, that she has a fist about homosexuality, and same-sex couples, and how horrid it all is.

The story wides along, until we discover why Augusta feels that way, and what happens next.

The kids are all, what is her problem, doesn't she know it is legal?

It is a cute story, and I enjoyed it, except for the singing bits, which may have been what I didn't like about the first book, as I don't think you can really write about singing in a print book.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.