The day starts out on a bad note when Falcon Quinn's tuba slides down the hill near his bus stop and continues out onto the icy of the pond nearby. Falcon chases after it not wanting to upset Gram who may be just about to take her first sip out of the bottle. He manages to bring the tuba back to shore and then watches as the ice cracks behind him suggesting he might not have made it.

Standing at the bus stop are two friends whose lives also offer challenges. When the bus swings to a stop, they board and begin the long ride to school. But on this day these three children are not headed to school. They are headed to the Academy for Monsters and are about to be assessed to determine what sort of monsters they are destined to be. Girls dreaming to be vampires come out as magical slugs. Werewolves and zombies and Frankensteins abound. But what about Falcon? What sort of monster is he and what will he choose to do when he learns that the Academy has actually been created to teach the children how to disguise and hide their true natures.

Falcon and friends will need to work together using all of their special powers to discover the truth about the school and where the enemy lies. With an overt social comment about how society and schools especially urge conformity on the students, the book entertains brilliantly and will offer a more humorous alternative to Harry Potter. Be yourself. Find yourself. Laugh, learn and above all, have fun, is the mission here. 486 pages Ages 9-13 ISBN 978-0061728327