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About The Book

“Wild, weird, hilarious, heartfelt, imaginative, and inventive. The spirit of Kurt Vonnegut is alive and well in its pages.” —Jeff Zentner, author of The Serpent King

“A satisfying mix of mild adolescent angst and creature feature comedy.” —BCCB (starred review)

“Frighteningly fun.” —Booklist (starred review)

From the author of Cure for the Common Universe comes a monster-movie-like novel that bravely challenges perceived notions of beauty, identity, and modern voyeurism.

Phoebe Lane is a lightning rod for monsters.

She and her mom are forced to flee flesh-eating plants, blobs from outer space, and radioactive ants. They survive thanks to Phoebe’s dad—an invisible titan, whose giant eyes warn them where the next monster attack will take place.

All Phoebe wants is to stop running from motel to motel and start living a monster-free life in New York or Paris. But when her mom mysteriously vanishes, Phoebe is left to fend for herself in small-town Pennybrooke.

That's when Phoebe starts to transform…

Christian McKay Heidicker returns with a book unlike any other, challenging perceived notions of beauty, identity, and what it means to be a monster.

About The Author

Photograph (c) Breana Reichert

Christian McKay Heidicker watched a lot of TV as a kid. (Probably too much.) It disturbs/enthralls him to think that the characters he was watching were sentient. (They probably were.) Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower is his second novel. His first novel, Cure for the Common Universe, was about how he plays too many video games. Learn more at CMHeidicker.com.

About The Illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 11, 2018)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481499156
  • Grades: 9 and up
  • Ages: 14 - 99
  • Lexile ® HL700L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

"This book is wild, weird, hilarious, heartfelt, imaginative, and inventive. The spirit of Kurt Vonnegut is alive and well in its pages."

– Jeff Zentner, author of The Serpent King

*"Heidicker sets the scene for a ’50s B-movie just right…a satisfying mix of mild adolescent angst and creature feature comedy.”

– BCCB, starred review

"In Heidicker’s funny, feminist send-up of B-movie cinema, selectively blind nostalgia, and TV binge watching, a teen girl living within a mysteriously connected string of monster movies learns to control her own narrative...frighteningly fun."

– Booklist, starred review

"This is a wonderful and wholly unique entry in teen horror fiction."

– School Library Journal

"Phoebe is a plucky, snarky heroine, and her fantastic adventure will entertain teens."

– Kirkus Reviews

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More books from this author: Christian McKay Heidicker

More books from this illustrator: Sam Bosma