Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower

Christian McKay Heidicker

Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Country
United States
Published
1 October 2019
Pages
320
ISBN
9781481499149

Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower

Christian McKay Heidicker

Phoebe Lane is a lightning rod for monsters.

She and her mom are forced to flee flesh-eating plants, blobs from outer space, and radioactive ants. They survive thanks to Phoebe’s dad-an invisible titan, whose giant eyes warn them where the next monster attack will take place.

All Phoebe wants is to stop running from motel to motel and start living a monster-free life in New York or Paris. But when her mom mysteriously vanishes, Phoebe is left to fend for herself in small-town Pennybrooke.

That’s when Phoebe starts to transform…

Christian McKay Heidicker returns with a book unlike any other, challenging perceived notions of beauty, identity, and what it means to be a monster.

Review

Phoebe’s mum is the world-famous Loretta Lane – the woman with whom King Kong (who was actually a ‘giant sweetheart’) was infatuated. Her dad is an invisible giant man in the sky who warns Phoebe and her mum through eye movements of any impending Blob/Vampire/Swamp Thing/Pod People attacks, allowing them to escape in time and move on to the next town. While not what Phoebe would have chosen for herself, this life works – until Loretta goes missing, leaving Phoebe to fight off sleazy police, fellow high-schoolers, secret underground government research lab members, and an evil half-sister by herself.

Attack of a 50 Foot Wallflower is a loving homage to 1950s horror films. The world of the book is black and white (literally – at one point Phoebe is exposed to real life Technicolor and it blows her mind) but that’s the only thing about this story that is. For a fun and silly romp through the world of B-grade horror movies, a lot of heavy topics are dealt with in this book, from America’s treatment of its peoples, to how religion and government should fit in to society. Despite this, the author is never heavy handed and you never feel like you are taken out of the story for a brief lecture on equality or racism. In fact, the only negative thing I have to say about it is that it does not include a ‘recommended watching’ section at the end for all the movies referenced! I had so much fun reading this utter delight of a book and highly recommend it to all kids aged 13+.


Dani Solomon is the assistant manager at Readings Kids.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 4 weeks

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.