School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Gr 4-6 Cordelia Clay lives in a world where monsters are real, and it is her father's job (and hers by proxy) to track down injured monsters to nurse them back to health. Her mother was the author of the definitive guide to natural monster history, but died in her attempt to prove her controversial theory that the two branches of monster evolution stemmed from the same root. When her father disappears it is down to Cordelia and, reluctantly on her part, Gregory, the homeless orphan whose zuppy (zombie puppy) she cured, to rescue him. Filled with a treasure trove of fascinating creatures, this Dickensian world is a treat to explore. It is also incredibly relatable, highlighting the paradox of great wealth among immense poverty and addressing themes of fear-mongering and the need for social change. The book begins with a comprehensive guide to the world's creatures that readers will turn to again and again. VERDICT Oliver's characters leap off the page and readers of all ages will find themselves eagerly rooting them on and clamoring for more as their story ends. Hand this to fans of adventure, magical creatures, and epic quests. India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA

ALA Booklist (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

In their crumbling Boston mansion, Cordelia Clay and her father keep a secret: they heal mysterious monsters. Recovering pixies, injured dragons, and other unusual creatures e Clays keep them safe from a world sure to mistreat them. Cordelia's life is upended when she wakes to find that her father and the monsters have all gone missing, leading her to search for where they've gone and who might have wanted them out of the picture. Oliver's imaginative story combines exquisite descriptions with a spirited narrative, and readers will delight in the quirky creatures and settings. While the book seems to focus on literal monsters cluding a detailed reference guide in the front matter also examines the concept more figuratively, through the monstrous behavior that humans are capable of and the monsters that people make the unfamiliar out to be. Despite the nineteenth-century New England setting, the themes speak to present-day discussions over immigration and race, fitting a serious and important message into an otherwise fanciful enterprise.

Horn Book

Monsters are real in this version of early-twentieth-century Boston, but most people have no idea that they exist. Cordelia Clay is one of the few acquainted with filches, alicanti, and growrks (a lengthy monster guide opens the novel), and she secretly helps her veterinarian father care for injured ones at their Beacon Hill home. When her father and most of the monsters disappear, Cordelia sets out to rescue them with the help of Gregory, a local boy who recently acquired a zombie puppy; a filch, which makes its way in the world via flatulence; and a baby dragon that had been living in Cordelia's oven. Their clues take them to New York and Canada before bringing them back to Boston, where an anti-monster activist threatens everything they hold dear. Though Oliver keeps the action-driven plot moving quickly, there is introspection as well, particularly regarding Cordelia's relationships with her late mother (a scientist who died while researching monster evolution) and her former best friend Elizabeth (who has monster-related secrets of her own). Oliver's wordplay is often clever ("the daylight...was starting to seep across the cluttered countertops like the drool of a Mattahorn salivus"), and her collection of monsters is creative and thorough. Cordelia and Gregory face instances of peril that are exciting without feeling too dangerous, and the book's secondary characters, both human and monster, add much to the story.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this thoughtful adventure set in the late 19th century, a girl who helps her veterinarian father to treat wounded monsters must locate her dad after he is apparently abducted-along with the myriad creatures living in their rambling Boston home. With little more than a threatening note to go on, Cordelia Clay, 12, and her newfound friend Gregory must track down the villain responsible in a world that doesn-t know about the existence of dragons, zombie puppies, and their ilk, and treats social outcasts with cruelty. As Cordelia and Gregory-s quest takes them to a traveling circus in New York, a Canadian university, and back home, they find a terrifying threat to monsters everywhere while exploring the idea that -the monsters people name are not the real danger... it-s the monsters who name themselves that you really have to watch out for.- Oliver-s (Broken Things) marvelous historical fantasy hits just the right tone of sincerity and whimsy; alongside weighty themes -of violence, of hatred, of cages and isolation,- an excerpt from A Guide to Monsters and Their Habits describes many of the beasties in enough detail to ground the premise and bring the monsters to life, and occasional illustrations by Aldridge (Estranged) give a realistically fantastic feel to the meaningful text. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)