A snappy young adult fantasy that follows Prudence Perry, a third-generation Ladybird Scout, who must battle literal (and figurative) monsters and the weight of her legacy in this YA paranormal perfect for fans of Stranger Things and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Sixteen-year-old Prudence Perry is a legacy Ladybird Scout, born to a family of hunters sworn to protect humans from mulligrubs—interdimensional parasites who feast on human emotions like sadness and anger. Masquerading as a prim and proper ladies' social organization, the Ladybirds brew poisons masked as teas and use knitting needles as daggers, at least until they graduate to axes and swords.
Three years ago, Prue’s best friend was killed during a hunt, so she kissed the Scouts goodbye, preferring the company of her punkish friends lovingly dubbed the Criminal Element much to her mother and Tía Lo’s disappointment. However, unable to move on from her guilt and trauma, Prue devises a risky plan to infiltrate the Ladybirds in order to swipe the Tea of Forgetting, a restricted tincture laced with a powerful amnesia spell.
But old monster-slaying habits die hard and Prue finds herself falling back into the fold, growing close with the junior scouts that she trains to fight the creatures she can’t face. When her town is hit with a mysterious wave of demons, Prue knows it’s time to confront the most powerful monster of all: her past.
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School Library Journal
Gr 8 Up-Prudence Perry, 16, is a third generation Ladybird Scout. She has spent plenty of time doing her share of community service and earning badges through crafts and baking; however, she has also spent a fair amount of time slaying mulligrub monsters before her best friend was killed by one. Prudence is recruited to train a new group of Ladybirds in the art of taking down these dangerous creatures that feed on anger and sadness and are running rampant around the northern area of California. This campy novel is original and funny with adventurous and likeable characters who play off each other with ease despite their personality differences. The connection that the main character makes with the new recruits is heartwarming and real. The creatures are descriptive and readers will enjoy the teen angst and Prudence's keen decision-making. Not only does this novel deliver adventure and good deeds but also a good dose of pop culture with many references throughout. Characters are of various ethnicities and race and the main character, Prudence, is white and Puerto Rican. VERDICT Fans of Stranger Things will dig into this comedic horror novel.-Karen Alexander?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.