Lio: There's a Monster in My Socks (Lio Collection)
This collection of the comic strip chronicles the adventures of a spiky-haired young boy who dabbles in mad science and has a pet snake named Frank, a squid named Ishmael, assorted robots and creatures (such as the monster under the bed), and a single, perpetually sleep-deprived father. The black-and-white strips are mostly wordless, with some writing and sound effects to help the reader understand what’s happening. The strips (each just one or two pages long) have a somewhat macabre sense of humor but still remain suitable and nonthreatening for elementary-school readers: Lio arms ducks with miniature bombs to drop upon hunters; the boy greets aliens, who use him as an ornament for their rear-view mirror; and he follows a path on the ground and ends up in a giant game of Mouse Trap. While part of the publishers’ new line of AMP! Comics for Kids, this book can also be enjoyed by adults, especially those who grew up with Charles Addams and Edward Gorey cartoons. Grades 4-7. --Kat Kan