Dreary & Naughty: Friday the 13th of February (Book) Review
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Dreary & Naughty are back, and love is in the air. It is Friday the 13th – a very special day for darker folk. Being Friday the 13th, thoughts turn to the deliciously unlucky, but it’s also nearly Valentine’s Day, and this couple is about to learn a lesson from the dark side on how to be a friend.
“The best gift of all Is that of your time.”
Dreary & Naughty are back, and love is in the air. It is Friday the 13th – a very special day for darker folk. Being Friday the 13th, thoughts turn to the deliciously unlucky, but it’s also nearly Valentine’s Day, and this couple is about to learn a lesson from the dark side on how to be a friend.
Friday the 13th of February departs a bit from the previous Dreary & Naughty books by using a named narrator – Dreary’s Grandma. For those new to the series, Dreary is the son of the Grim Reaper, a teenaged skeleton in a hoodie and a skull cap who’s t-shirt also holds a hint of what’s going on. Naughty, his good friend and neighbor, is the daughter of the Devil. She’s always stylishly dressed, with cute pigtails and trendy mini skirts offsetting the demonic horns and tail. Both attend a normal high school at the wish of their parents.
Friday the 13th of February is presented in the signature Dreary & Naughty style. A blood red hard cover holds a book filled with black and white sketches and rhyming text, telling viewers of Dreary & Naughty’s latest exploits. In this tale, the beautiful Naughty has received an entire locker full of valentines, and is a bit high on herself because of it. Dreary, on the other hand, hasn’t received a single one, yet still rushes home after movie night to work diligently on a hand made gift for Naughty.
When Naughty is presented with the beautiful gift on Valentine’s Day, she realizes she didn’t finish anything for Dreary and rushes to throw together a gift basket from the shelves of her home. Though Dreary accepts graciously and happily, Naughty knows she has failed her friend, and sets off to make things right with a gift directly from the heart – but she’s only got a few hours left of Valentine’s Day. Will she finish in time.
Dreary & Naughty: Friday the 13th of February is a cute Valentine’s tale that teaches a great lesson in a unique way. The drawings are masterfully done, and present the story in a way kids will enjoy – and likely try to imitate. The rhyming text adds a touch of whimsy that perfectly offsets the dark tone of the whole thing being about the children of death and evil. It all works together so well, and makes for an engaging story that kids will want to read again and again.