ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

For such a luckless character, the Phantom of the Opera has enjoyed a lot of luck over the past century. Leroux's initially ignored novel has received boosts from everyone from Lon Chaney to Andrew Lloyd Webber, and though young readers may not know squat about opera, chances are the Phantom himself is on their radar. That familiarity will be key here, as Dunn's adaptation works in such shorthand that some sequences border on nonsensical. Thankfully, the story retains its vibrancy: the Phantom, enamored of backup-singer Christine, sees to it that she is promoted to prima donna and trained by him to have the most heavenly voice. Some of the major plot elements are mishandled, including the famous unmasking scene e Phantom is depicted as a fairly normal-looking fellow. The chandelier crash fares much better, and it's this kind of dramatic moment that makes up for some of the confusion. Other horror icons featured in the Graphic Horror series include Dracula, the Invisible Man, and Dorian Gray.

School Library Journal (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

KELLY, Karen , adapt. Alexandre Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask . illus. by Mike Lacey. ISBN 978-1-60270-748-1 . LC 2010003921. MULLARKEY, Lisa , adapt. Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera . illus. by Eric Scott Fisher. ISBN 978-1-60270-749-8 . LC 2010010058. ea vol: 112p. (Calico Illustrated Classics). CIP. ABDO / Magic Wagon . 2010. PLB $24.21. Gr 5-8 Fields has taken the original story and made it more approachable to younger and reluctant readers, losing none of the Dickensian drama. The characters are true to the original tale as are the plot and its development. McWilliam's whimsical cartoon artwork illustrates the key moments in the story and heightens its emotions and situations. Kelly does an adequate job of adapting the Dumas classic. The original is a rich, extravagant story about political intrigue, deception, history, and drama. All of the main players are here, but readers need to be familiar with The Three Musketeers in order to understand who the characters are and how they have grown. The language, sentence structure, and limited vocabulary make this appropriate for the middle grades and will introduce children to this literary classic. Unfortunately, while Lacey's illustrations provide a break for the eye at certain points in the narrative, they fail to capture the pageantry and drama of the period. In Phantom , Mullarkey uses simple vocabulary and sentence structure without losing Leroux's drama, horror, and suspense. The principal characters' roles, capacities, and importance are in no way diminished, but some parts of the story that have the most action and drama (e.g., the chandelier falling or the masquerade ball) aren't illustrated. Fisher's cartoonish art belies the dark, serious side of the story and oversimplifies some of its key points. Robert A. Zupperoli, Warren Harding High School, Bridgeport, CT

Horn Book

This adaptation of Leroux's tale of obsession is narrated by the Phantom and illustrated with dark, uneven illustrations. The text abounds in exclamation points and stilted dialogue: "Below the Paris Opera House was a whole world! My world!" This version may appeal to very young Andrew Lloyd Webber diehards; others would do better to wait and read the original.