This children’s novel imagines an inspiration for Frankenstein. In 1816, Lizzie, a girl from Somerset, tells Mary Shelley and Lord Byron’s serving boy about how she survived a lightning storm, caught the attention of a scientist staying nearby, and came to Switzerland in search of her sister.

I still think Carroll is an excellent storyteller, but much like Frankenstein, this isn’t my preferred branch of Gothic, although its ending is far more cosy. ( )

This is the second novel I have read by Emma Carroll and it was a gripping read. Based around fictional events that may have inspired Mary Shelley to write her famous novel "Frankenstein," "Strange Star" will have middle grade students engrossed with its creepy, atmospheric and suspenseful plot. ( )

YA fodder, pointlessly bookended by Diodati. ( )