More Grimm than Disney, Lilly and Fraser-Allen are unafraid to challenge their young readers and offer up a cautionary tale that promises to delight those willing to take the journey.” - Comics Online
"Mystery, misanthropy, and mischief combine in this delightfully dark cautionary tale, written in an absorbing limerick style." - Foreword Reviews
"The Squickerwonkers is a strange and wacky book but a fun one all the same. Lilly’s set-up of the story definitely makes it seem as though we could potentially see more of the Squickerwonkers in later installments (which I, for one, will be looking forward to!)." - Mugglenet
"She’s not underselling it: parts Brothers Grimm, Roald Dahl and Tim Burton. The Squickerwonkers lurks at the shadowy end of the kids-lit spectrum” - Total Film
"Evangeline Lilly's The Squickerwonkers is a creepy crawly delight." - Barnes & Noble Book Blog
“The Squickerwonkers is an amazing book.” - Comic Vine
"Delightfully dark cautionary tale, written in an absorbing limerick style." - Foreword Reviews
"A clever, creepy children's book." - Vulture
"The rare kind of kids' book that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike." - Movies.com
"The dark, alluring tale of a spoiled girl who's taken in by a band of eccentric marionettes." - USA Today
"[a] delightfully dark read, illustrated in at once unsettling and beautiful fashion by WETA designer Johnny Fraser-Allen" - Comics Alliance
"With Squickerwonkers, Lilly set out to write a book that both children and parents could enjoy — since parents will be the ones reading the book over and over. She has succeeded." - She Knows
"Thanks to consistently playing tough, independent, ass-kicking women, it's easy to imagine that Evangeline Lilly spends her down time climbing mountains or big-wave surfing, but the truth is she's actually a very gifted writer. She's written a truly delightful and sophisticated children's book called The Squickerwonkers, and the easiest way to pitch it is to say were it a movie, it'd be right at home alongside the likes of Coraline and ParaNorman." - Movies.com
2014-10-01
Actress Lilly makes her picture-book debut. Opening with a slant rhyme, the preface claims Selma discovered a "wagon-like ride," though how this is possible when she's just "wandered away from a fair" is puzzling. A disembodied voice welcomes her and—over the course of 10 action-void pages—introduces the nine creepy Squickerwonker marionettes. Verse peppered with odd word choices and awkward phrasing makes it clear that rhyme takes precedence over story. While the illustrations only occasionally succeed in highlighting the Squickerwonkers' unsavory qualities, Fraser-Allen does a commendable job of creating an eerie atmosphere. When Selma bravely joins the Squickerwonkers onstage, they purposefully pop her balloon (evidently prized, though it is not mentioned in the text before this). Her subsequent tantrum gets her labeled a brat and turned into a Squickerwonker herself (with very Coraline-esque coin eyes). Readers may wonder why a girl who stands up for herself is characterized as spoiled and punished. Is this book a cautionary tale? Perhaps, but its moral is uncertain, especially given the rushed and unclear ending.While it's gratifying to see a story that trusts readers with fear, the lack of a substantial plot and poor rhyme quality make this one to pass by, Peter Jackson's imprimatur in the introduction notwithstanding. (Picture book. 5-8)
