Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe
Ashleigh Barton
Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe
Ashleigh Barton
Solomon Macaroni is the sweetest vampire you’ve ever met. Can he survive one hundred years staying with his naughty prankster cousins?
You’ve never met a vampire like Solomon Macaroni before - he’s friendly, polite and makes a mean tofu Bolognese. Understandably, when his parents go on a one-hundred-year cruise without him, Solomon is not impressed. Especially because it means having to stay in creepy Transylvania with his six cousins, who are the rudest and naughtiest vampires in existence. (Well, apart from Lucy. He likes her.) Not even his uncle, Count Dracula, the oldest vampire in the world, can stop their pranks. Solomon wishes he could spend the next hundred years alone at his own house with his spider friend, Fred, instead.
But when his cousins venture into the spooky Wildwood on a dangerous mission, Solomon - against his better judgement - agrees to help Lucy rescue them. At least, that’s what he thinks he’s doing.
In the forest, Solomon must draw on all he knows - about old magic, wet wipes and the importance of a well-timed entrance - to save his catastrophic cousins and possibly the world.
Review
Clare Millar
Ashleigh Barton, author of the CBCA Notable picture book What Do You Call Your Grandma?, makes her middle grade debut with Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe. Solomon is a young vampire – only 552 years old – left to stay with his cousins and Uncle Dracula in Transylvania after his parents decided to go on a holiday for a hundred years! He isn’t excited about it as all his cousins – except for kind Lucy – are mean pranksters. The story follows Solomon’s thwarted attempts to get home, the pranks his cousins pull on him, Uncle Dracula’s wacky half-baked inventions, and a magical mission that brings everyone together.
This book will suit confident junior readers interested in stories that are spooky (without being too scary – there are some nasty imps in a dark forest but otherwise this is a tame read), and who are looking to find their feet in middle-grade fiction. At times, the pacing is a little slow and character motivations can feel somewhat unclear – albeit neatly explained much later in the book – which may frustrate more attentive readers.
Solomon Macaroni and the Cousin Catastrophe is like Hotel Transylvania, The Little Vampire and the Funny Kid books all wrapped into one pleasant supernatural story. A sequel is already slated for 2023. For ages 8+.
Clare Millar is from Readings online.
This item is in-stock at 2 shops and will ship in 3-4 days
Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.
