Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #3: Teacher's Pest
This latest entry in the reliable Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series finds the evil Crawford Tillinghast and his summoned beasts—existing just beyond the living realm of the school—rounding up the troops for the upcoming “Great War.” Who are the troops? Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Robert and Glenn first notice the infestation via a horrendous ice outbreak, but soon the halls are seething with ants, fleas, gnats, mosquitoes, and more. When the creatures disappear beneath the school to bulk up on meals of trash, the boys, plus ghost girl Karina, scuttle down the service tunnels to do a little extermination—and rescue their two-headed pet rat, of course. As always, Gilman punctuates the fast-moving action and gross-out set pieces (including a Dumpster full of maggots) with the delicate matters of young friendships. Smith’s black-and-white illustrations are a big boon, especially when conveying the bizarre (a pile of goo with multiple eyeballs). The 3-D cover will grab ’em. And you can reassure horror addicts more volumes are slithering our way. Grades 4-6. --Daniel Kraus