We don’t think there are enough great stories out there for younger middle-grade readers, so after tearing through his first book, we were excited to get our claws into Whoa! I Spy a Werewolf, the second in Justin Davies series about Alice, a girl coming to terms with her special powers, and the gang of fantastical creatures she meets through her uncle’s monster job agency.
Having saved the day in Help! I Smell a Monster, Alice is honoured to be nominated for an award for bravery at the Nessies (a sort-of Monster Oscars) and even more thrilled when she realises that vlogger Kiki, her teen-werewolf heroine, is presenting the prizes.
When Alice and her cat sith best pal Miss Pinky gatecrash the pre-awards press conference, they detect a mega problem with the supposed mega-star – though too late to save Alice’s super sense, or her reputation, from the spiteful, blood-thirsty shape-shifter.
The threat in this book feels a little more ominous than in its predecessor, though luckily, there are a host of hilarious new monster characters on hand (brilliantly brought to life by illustrator Kim Geyer) to help Alice fight for the supernatural community. Our favourites were Dustin, a hairy, highly intelligent Brownie who is rubbish at cleaning, and scientist-genie, Jeanie, an excellent role model, even before she swapped her home bottle from elderflower-cordial to champagne!
Whoa! I spy a Werewolf is clever, witty and easy to read – a magical combination in our eyes. If you’re looking for pages filled with fun, and just a wee frisson of a fright, we’d suggest sniffing it out.
Whoa! I spy a Werewolf, by Justin Davies (Orchard)
- Read our Seven Stories Q&A with Justin (from last year) here, or have a look at our review of Book 1: Help! I Smell a Monster!
Roaring Reads 