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

The latest entry into the ongoing I Can Read! series is this droll Level Two ("Reading with Help") ditty that comically exaggerates the anxieties of a first day of school. Norm, "the most regular kid you could ever hope to meet," finds himself among the multi-eyed, long-tailed, frog-eating, eye-juggling students of Miss Clops' class, where he constantly feels on the outside. It's only acing the pop quiz that makes him "not normal" e., he finally fits in. There's plenty of text here, but it's comprised of short, widely spaced words, and Keane's soft hues keep scares fully at bay.

Horn Book

Norm, a "regular kid," has trouble fitting in with the monstrous students and faculty at his new school. But after he correctly answers all of the questions on his spelling test, the only student to do so, the other students decide he's as odd as they are. The story isn't strong, but readers may giggle at the goofy-looking bug-eyed monsters.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

With its wide variety of monsters, mild creep and gross factors, and potential to allay some fears about fitting in, this is sure to find a wide audience among beginning readers. Perfectly normal Norm realizes immediately that he does not fit in at his new school. Horns, claws, fangs, strangely colored skin, hairy bits and eyes on stalks are all common at the Monster School, where the teacher is Miss Clops (she has only one eye), and the headless principal announces that, "It is normal to feel odd on your first day." Slightly creepy tongue-in-cheek humor abounds, as it did in the author's Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain (2009), and is sure to elicit chuckles. Is Miss Clops winking or blinking? Will the class ever find Gary, a ghost, in their game of hide-and-seek? Which of the two-headed girl's heads will win the bubble-blowing contest? And most importantly, will Norm ever fit in, or will he be normal forever? Keane's artwork nicely complements the text, his monsters coming off less as scary freaks out to get Norm than as regular kids who look a little different on the outside. Their faces are childlike and expressive--not frightening at all--and the illustrations ably help readers decode vocabulary. Not just for the first day of school; this is sure to appeal year-round. (Early reader. 5-8)

School Library Journal (Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

K-Gr 2 Norm is nervous on his first day at monster school because he is not like everyone else: he is simply a "regular kid." His headless principal, Cyclops-like teacher, and monstrous classmates are welcoming, but Norm has trouble connecting with anyone. He meets Harry, a werewolf; Hilda, a witch; Gary, a ghost; a girl with two heads, and a boy with innumerable eyeballs. The newcomer feels out of place until he gets every word right on his spelling test. His classmates call him strange and weird, until Hilda points out that Norm is unique, just like the monsters. Finally, he feels he may be happy at Monster School after all. Keane offers friendly depictions of the characters in muted colors, along with the right size and amount of text on each page. The theme of individuality and acceptance comes through, and transitioning independent readers will be drawn to the large font and silly illustrations. Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa