Dory Fantasmagory

Starred review from June 15, 2015
In a sequel every bit as delightful as its predecessor, Hanlon follows the wildly imaginative star of Dory Fantasmagory to school, where Dory attempts to make a “real” friend (as opposed to the monsters she plays with at home). She is immediately drawn to a princess-loving girl named Rosabelle, but Dory’s overtures of friendship don’t initially hit their mark: “ ‘Do you want some floppy cookies?’ I whisper to her, which is my nickname for salami because I love it so much. She does not.” Once again, Hanlon’s hilarious narration and cartooning reveal an uncanny talent for getting into the mile-a-minute mind of a one-of-a-kind girl. Ages 6–8. Agent: Ann Tobias, A Literary Agency for Children’s Books.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Dory’s nickname, “Rascal,” is an immediate tip-off to the six-year-old’s personality, but there’s more to Dory than just being a spitfire. To combat her older siblings’ refusal to play with her because she’s a “baby,” Dory conjures up Mary, a monster friend who appreciates her incessant questions, like “Why do we have armpits?” and “What is the opposite of sandwich?” Dory’s pestering leads Luke and Violet to tell her that 507-year-old Mrs. Gobble Gracker, “who robs baby girls,” is looking for her. This sets Dory’s imagination spinning, leading to the appearance of the vampiric Mrs. Gobble Gracker and the gnomelike Mr. Nuggy, who introduces himself as her fairy godmother. Reality and fantasy combine hilariously in a story that, at heart, is about a girl who wants little more than to spend time with her brother and sister. Hanlon’s (Ralph Tells a Story) loosely scrawled illustrations, speech balloons, and hand-lettering are an enormous part of the story’s humor, channeling Dory’s energy and emotions as emphatically as the narration. Time spent with Dory is time well spent. Ages 6–8. Agent: Ann Tobias, A Literary Agency for Children’s Books.