This was a delightful book that covered the subject matter well and in a fun, engaging manner. It had just the right mixture of information and narrative.

I could fan girl over Mary Shelley's Frankenstein everyday of the week, but this wasn't the book I wanted. I also tried reading this book multiple times. I read that first chapter at least three times, but I couldn't get into it. It just wasn't for me. That's why I waited so long to write a review. I hate to be negative. about someone's hard work.

While this is a picture book (for children presumably) I am desperate to get a copy for my own shelf. Not only are the illustrations dreary, yet gorgeous but they are just perfect given the subject matter. Illustrator Julia Sarda (yes the famous illustrator from many other children’s books) has captured the Victorian age and Mary’s melancholy so well in her dark and moody art.

In the opening pages I wasn’t sure that Linda Bailey’s (a Canadian!) story of Mary Shelley was kid appropriate. Also knowing of her life myself I was struggling to imagine children caring about a literary competition on a dark and stormy night. Let’s face it, few children will know (or care) who Lord Byron or the others at the table are. And yet by the end of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, not only did I want to pin pages from the book on my wall, but I realized it’s the perfect story for a flighty child with a strong imagination. Then I also realized I already know a 7-year-old boy who would love this story. He thinks Pennywise the clown (though he’s never seen the movies) is the best and has recently started to pick the villains to win against his beloved superhero’s.

So I chastise myself for not giving children enough credit. While the story of writing Frankenstein is very moody and dark; so too is the monster himself. And given that most 3-year-olds know who/what “Frankenstein” is (forgiving them for not understanding it’s the scientists name); then why not tel them that an 18-year-old wrote the story on a dark and stormy night.

Besides sending a wonderful story for children, this book also feels perfect for the struggling author. It speaks of Mary’s inability to write her story immediately and that she needed inspiration to do so (the twitching frog). It also reminds us that no one writes a brilliant story overnight (Mary took 9 months). What better things to remind a new or struggling author?

Bailey and Sarda have created a masterpiece from a masterpiece. Unique in a way I’m not used to with picture books; and yet perfect in every aspect. This book will be added to my children’s box of toys for visiting children. I can foresee myself being overjoyed when the children want me to read, or them to me, the story of when science fiction (and many elements of horror) were first founded in literature.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley; but took out a physical copy when my library ordered it. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Great book for younger readers to introduce the work of Mary Shelly and have students learn about the author and how she created one fo the most memorable characters ever. The visuals were stunning and helped create a mood for the story. It is always great to look into a life of a famous female novelist.

The illustrations in this are gorgeous, and any book that gets a young reader interested in a classic novel has an instant hold on my heart. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein are two of my favorite things, and while the novel itself may not be appropriate for children, this would be a great way to pique their interest in the text for the future. And I cannot stress enough how great the illustrations are. I probably will buy a copy for myself, honestly.

This was a fascinatingly interesting book. The kids would like it, but I can see it as being a quick introduction to the book itself. It could be a little tricky to use because the age group that the book was written for is way too young to get anything out of "Frankenstein". The group that's old enough for the book might have a little trouble getting excited about a picture book, no matter how not babyish it is. Still that's no reason not to put it in an elementary library. The pictures are creepy enough to really appeal to those kids who always want a scary book.

If you're much familiar with the story of Frankenstein, chances are you've heard the story of how it was written. What makes this book more intriguing is it puts that tale in the greater context of Shelley's life. Her strained family relationships, rebellious nature, "wild" life choices, and general youth and inexperience. It gives more context to the final product. And the illustrations add to the general foreboding and dark nature of the whole story. It gives us something of an uneasy feeling as we read. My one concern, though, is with the picture book format. Will a child young enough to appreciate the picture book be familiar enough with Frankenstein for it to make sense?

I will be the first to admit, as many stories as I have read throughout my lifetime, I have never read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. DONT THROW STONES JUST YET! I have never read it because I've always been a tad bit terrified of it. My Aunt would tell me how she read it at a young age and it gave her nightmares for weeks, and when the movie with Boris Karloff came out it rekindled those nightmares for her. So I just stayed away from it. I own multiple copies of it, but still have not read it. 

First I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for my free copy in return for my honest review. 

In this story we follow how Frankenstein came to be. Mary Shelley's life before she created her famous monster. After a pretty rough start in her life, she runs away from her Fathers home, and so begins the adventure that will change this young 18 year old's life. 



The illustration were by far my favorite part of this book. The are so hauntingly beautiful! Simplistic yet so detailed I literally stared at each picture over and over again.  Here is the link to the illustrators website! Go buy her art! http://www.juliasarda.com/



This was such a great quick read. Perfect story to read to your creepy little monsters at home! We are giving Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey 5/5 stars! Buy the book here  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/225745/mary-who-wrote-frankenstein-by-linda-bailey-illustrated-by-julia-sarda/9781770495593/

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Keep your nose in a book!

Angie

I learned so much from this book! Who would have ever thought something as small as a writing challenge would spark a book of such great proportion! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

I have never read Frankenstein. I tried to read it a few years ago, but I couldn’t get into it. However, I loved this book.

I didn’t realize that Mary Shelley was so young when she wrote the novel. She was only 18 years old! The story was born from a challenge given to a few friends on a trip. They were tasked with writing a ghost story, and Mary’s was so good that it is still talked about more than a century later!

The art in this book was very cool. The illustrations looked like patchwork. The colours were very dark, which suits the subject matter.

This children’s story about Mary Shelley’s life is great. It has inspired me to try reading Frankenstein again.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein combines an informative text by Linda Baily with evocative artwork by Julia Sarda to create an easy-to-recommend picture book for older children.

Baily introduces the young Mary Shelley as a “dreamer,” then places her in the context of her upbringing. Her mother is described as a “great thinker . . . [who] wrote books to say women should have the same rights as men” before dying before Mary was only two weeks old. Her father meanwhile taught her to read, but “when he’s upset with her he grows cold and silent.”

Luckily though her father plays host to a lot of creative and intellectual sorts, and so one night Mary hides behind a couch and listens as Samuel Taylor Coleridge recites “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” an inspirational moment for her, and one she’ll never forget. Unfortunately, that was one of the high points of her early life, as she soon becomes a “Big Problem.” So big her father sends her to Scotland, which should have worked but didn’t as she was still a “Big Problem” on her return thanks to marrying the poet Percy Byshe Shelley.

We then get the classic story of the night that inspired Frankenstein, with Percy, Mary, Lord Byron, Mary’s stepsister Claire, and Doctor Polidori having a ghost story challenge, followed by the accounting of Mary’s dream of a monster and its creator (this from Mary’s introduction to the novel). The main text ends with placing the novel in its historical legacy: “Over two hundred years have passed . .. And everywhere around the world, people know Mary’s book . . It may be the greatest scary story of all time . . It began with a girl named Mary . . .”

Following the main text is a lengthy (four pages) Author’s Note that goes into more historical detail about Mary’s life, the writing of the novel, and a bit on how Polidori’s story inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The language is simple and direct. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more vividness or lyricism, something that startled now and then via unusual language or a unique image or metaphor. But the text moves along smoothly and is always clear. And there’s a nice focus throughout on the power of imagination.

While the story is solid, it’s the artwork that truly makes this book shine. The images have that same vividness and startlement factor I was hoping for in the language. There’s a wonderfully appropriate gothic feel and tone to the illustrations. The color palette makes use of a lot of grays, blacks, and reds, also suiting the subject matter. The imagination references in the text makes it appearance via ghostly grey images floating at the top of the page: Coleridge’s poetic albatross or skeletal monsters during the stormy night of the ghost stories.

With its fluid, informative text and fantastic artwork, Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein is an excellent work highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book to read if you enjoy Frankenstein or the background about a story. We might think we know the story behind the author and writing of Frankenstein, but this gives even more information. It is well done and very interesting. It is exactly the book for me a fan of Frankenstein and story background -- well done. I enjoy learning about the author and the inspiration for this classic story.

'Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein' by Linda Bailey with illustrations by Julia Sarda is a wonderful picture book about the life of Mary Shelley.

The story tells about Mary's early life and the types of things that may have contributed to her imagining, then writing the famous story Frankenstein. She wandered and dreamed. She mourned the early death of her mother and was troublesome to her father and his new wife. When she runs away with Percy Bysse Shelley, at age 17, she travels around Europe. One night she has a dream and brings to life a really famous story.

The book ends with an afterword with more about Mary Shelley's life and why the author was inspired.

The story is a bit dark, as are the illustrations. What that means to me, is that I really liked this book. It may not be for the overly sensitive child, but I know when I was young, I loved stories with a darker tone.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Tundra Books, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book is gorgeous!! The illustrations perfectly complement the story and the book is perfect for kiddos maybe 8+. It describes the life story of Mary Shelley, a woman too bold, talented, and educated for her time. Mary was an incredibly talented woman and this book is a beautiful tribute to her.

Be warned, for kids who don't like scary things there are ghosts and pictures of the Frankenstein monster.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy. In exchange for an honest review. Coming into this book I knew that it would be a succinct look into one of literatures first author of the science fiction genre Mary Shelley author of Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus. I was familiar with the story surrounding the beginning of the tale but did not know how old she was. What I enjoyed from this book was the fact that Linda Bailey was inspired by the author herself who wrote an “authors introduction” in a later edition of her novel. I enjoyed the information presented and am inspired to examine Mary Shelley’s work and may include reading Frankenstein for the first time. Accompanied by illustrations by Julia Sarda made the book that much enjoyable for her illustrations conveyed the mood surrounding chance and intrigue. Also it embellished the tone of Shelley’s life as well as her legacy. I highly recommend this to those interested in literary history as well as those fans of Frankenstein.

Great book for Halloween! It’s a picture book on the true story of Mary Shelley. The illustrations are hauntingly gothic and incredible. There are themes of the importance of literature, on being a strong woman, and on creativity. LOVE!

Fascinating! I loved this biography. Kids will be amazed at the origin story of one of the most famous horror stories. The artwork perfectly complemented the text. Bravo.

First things first. The illustrations are amazing. I hope it gets nominated for a Caldecott, but i can see judges saying the illustrations are too dark. Of course they are, we are talking about Shelley and Frankenstein. This is a picture book biography about Mary and what brought her to write the most famous monster ever. It’s well done, entertaining and informative.

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein is a picture book written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Juliet Sarda. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I wanted to share it with my girls. They always enjoy the books I receive, and their feedback is useful in helping me write my reviews.

This is a children’s biography about Mary Shelley, the woman who wrote Frankenstein. Because this is a picture book rather than a chapter book, there is a limited amount of space in which to convey a great deal of information. Mary’s childhood is briefly covered; most notably, that she hid behind the sofa to listen to Coleridge recite the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Much of the book covers her relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley and the circumstances that led to her inspiration for writing Frankenstein. The prose is quite evocative, and one can quite easily picture spending rainy days in a castle with two of England’s most famous poets. The book ends with the enduring legacy of the Frankenstein story.

Because this book is intended for children, Percy Shelley presents as adventurous and benign, and not nearly as much of a dirtbag as he was in real life. The book skips over the salacious details of their courtship as well as the tragic loss of three of her children in infancy.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Sarda uses a subdued palette, and the realistic illustrations conjure up ghostly imagery that pairs nicely with the morose story.

I read this book with my nine-year-old twins, and they liked this book. It held their attention, and they liked looking at the pictures. They have heard of Frankenstein before, so this was a good opportunity to introduce them to the story behind one of the most famous horror novels, in all its gothic glory.

I would absolutely recommend Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein for middle grade readers. 2018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, so there has been a resurgence of interest in Mary Shelley. This is an interesting- albeit sanitized- look at Mary’s life and the inspiration for writing Frankenstein.



I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.