Attack of the 50-Foot Wallflower by Christian McKay Heidicker

Abstract

Reviewed by: Attack of the 50-Foot Wallflower by Christian McKay Heidicker Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Heidicker, Christian McKay Attack of the 50-Foot Wallflower. Simon, 2018 [320p] ISBN 978-1-4814-9913-2 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-10 Giant man-eating ants, blob monsters, rampaging apes, and other creatures, known as "Shivers," wreak havoc throughout the world, but seventeen-year-old Phoebe and her mom can always get ahead of any Shiver attack with the help of Phoebe's dad. Her dad is the giant old guy in the sky, sitting in his bathrobe in a comfy armchair and with remote control in hand, who is apparently invisible to everyone else and who, while never directly speaking to Phoebe or her mom, alerts them to a Shiver attack when his gaze falls on the soon-to-be-destroyed area. It turns out, though, that Daddy isn't benevolent, his attention shift isn't for warning but rather a search for entertainment, and he's getting bored; if he changes the channel on that remote, then it's "click" and lights out for Phoebe's world as she knows it. Heidicker sets the scene for a '50s B-movie just right, with girls in poodle skirts, boys with slickedback hair and leather jackets, and families eating dinners of Salisbury steak while watching American Bandstand. Phoebe makes a delightful narrator, having just the right amount of sass and befuddlement, which only increases as she realizes that she may in fact be transforming into a Shiver herself. Humor comes both in slapstick and snark, especially in Phoebe's pal Beth (who is either a time traveler or channel surfer, depending on how you look at it), and various monster movie tropes show up in all their campy glory. There's a touch of existential contemplation—it's hard to avoid when you've called up the image of a man in the heavens—making this a satisfying mix of mild adolescent angst and creature feature comedy. Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois