Middle Grade Book Review: The Mortification of Fovea Munson

I’m able to share awesome middle grade book reviews like this thanks to sponsors like Disney-Hyperion. They sent our copy for review and I’m able to share a giveaway with you! The following thoughts, images and ideas remain my own.

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mor·ti·fi·ca·tion

ˌmôrdəfəˈkāSH(ə)n/

noun

1.

great embarrassment and shame.

“they mistook my mortification for an admission of guilt”

Halloween middle grade books can be a tricky category for kids like my Lilly who read well above their age/grade level but aren’t quite ready for books that will give them real nightmares. (affiliate link) The Mortification of Fovea Munson by Mary Hinn Heider is a laugh out loud slightly creepy middle grade read that falls perfectly between creative tween drama and spooky humor. Lilly was also excited to “actually learn some new words” and we googled the definitions of some seasonally appropriate vocabulary! After her summer plans fall through, Fovea Munson gets stuck spending the summer at her parents cadaver lab- they perform surgeries on dead bodies. Gross!

fo·ve·a

ˈfōvēə/

noun

ANATOMY

a small depression in the retina of the eye where visual acuity is highest. The center of the field of vision is focused in this region, where retinal cones are particularly concentrated

Poor Fovea discovers three talking heads and instantly throws up! How would you feel if you walked into your parents lab and discovered dead body parts come to life?! Lilly went from “I’m so creeped out!” to giggling out loud and back again in the night and a half it took her to read the whole book. We both loved the couple of illustrations sprinkled throughout the chapters that set just enough of the scene to imagine the rest yourself.

I liked that this book touched on themes of bullying and the ever changing tides of friendship relationships that are always complicated themes for this age range. I already see the need to discuss these powerful themes and “teasing” storylines often help bridge the gap in the discussions we can have so they aren’t as abstract. But the humor of this book kept it so entertaining that it never felt heavy or like too much for the recommended 8-12 age range.

ca·dav·er

kəˈdavər/

noun

LITERARY•MEDICINE