Little Monsters by Máire Roche

Little Monsters by Máire Roche
Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Publishing:  August 18th, 2026
Format Read:  Hardcover
Number of pages:   275 pages
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Opening Lines from prologue: "Beware the seam cities, beware the full moon, and beware, above all else, the girl who can hide what she truly is."

Meg March lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her three younger sisters and their foster mother, Marmee.  As the oldest, Meg has taken on the role of caretaker and current securer of a Halloween costume for all of her siblings.  To earn the money, she's been taking care of their next-door neighbor, Mr. Laurence's chickens.

Then a new boy, John Brooke moves in with Mr. Laurence and Laurie.  He's introduced as a visiting cousin, but his arrival coincides with strange events around town.  Farmers have reported stolen chickens, several coops have scratch marks, and people claim to have seen a monster lurking in the nearby forest.  At the same time, Meg has been waking up in the woods with no memory of how she got there or what she did the night before.  Could she be the creature everyone is whispering about?  After all, Meg and her sisters each possess unusual abilities.  Meg grows sharp teeth and claws when she's nervous or is stressed, Jo develops fur during a full moon, Beth grows wings, and Amy can transform into a mermaid.  If anyone found out, what would they think of the Marsh family?  And would Marmee agree to continue fostering them?

Meg feels a deep sense of responsibility for her sisters.  She's constantly trying to keep them and Marmee happy.  She worries that any misstep will anger Marmee and force them to move foster homes yet again.  That pressure manifests physically, with her claws and teeth appearing whenever her anxiety spikes.  While I understood Meg's anxiety, the repeated mentions of her teeth and claws began to feel redundant.  I wanted more moments of showing how these transformations impacted her, more close calls, more tension around almost being discovered, rather than repeated descriptions of her trying to hide her teeth behind her lips.  

I also wished for more interactions between Meg and all of her sisters, not just Joe.  Little Women is a classic coming-of -age story rooted in sisterhood, personal growth and family bonds.  In contrast, Little Monsters centers primarily on Meg and Joe, offering fewer opportunities to explore the dynamics among all four sisters.  Perhaps if Meg had asked for help more often and had more faith in her siblings, those relationships could have been developed further.  Still, having Brooks learn her secret does introduce some light rom-com moments.  

Overall, I enjoyed the ambience of Little Monsters, the crisp autumn setting, the approach of Halloween, the dark moon and drifting clouds, and the twisting forest branches.  The atmosphere sets the tone for a spooky monster mystery with plenty of possibilities of who or what the culprit might be.  And at its heart is Meg's determination to prove her innocence.