This review first appeared in Booklist on June 1, 2025.
Stitch leads a simple life in the castle at the edge of the forest. Every morning, he wakes up and makes a mark on the wall, one for every day since he first awoke: 585 days ago as of the story’s start. He feeds his pet mouse. He visits his friend Henry, locked inside a cage, and they chat. He goes out to the garden and dreams of exploring the world. And he checks on the Professor to see if he’s still asleep. This routine is interrupted by the arrival of the Professor’s nephew, who is accompanied by an assistant, Alice, as well as a barrage of bad news—and life in the castle will never again be the same. Kenny (The Monsters of Rookhaven, 2021) takes apart the original Frankenstein tale and sews the pieces back into an uplifting fable that’s bursting at the seams with heart and optimism. Stitch explores themes of friendship, prejudice, and morality through the eyes of a large-hearted protagonist who never fails to approach it all with empathy and kindness.
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