The Lurking Lima Bean

Wolver Hollow is not a normal town. The adults are too busy shuffling off to work at the old coffin factory to notice or care, but the kids know all about the monsters, ghosts, and strange lights in the sky. Strange things happen in Wolver Hollow. Creepy things.

Madeline Harper does not like lima beans and she’s not afraid to make that clear. But when she gets sent to bed for not eating her vegetables, she’ll find something far worse than her mother’s frustration. A lima bean scorned is a terrible thing, and it will not stop until Madeline Harper eats her vegetables!  

The second installment of the Night Frights Series moves away from a spooky mystery and instead tells an outrageous story with all new characters. The Lurking Lima Bean has no mystery to solve; however, the kids have to use some creative thinking to defeat the lima beans. While trying to conquer the lima beans, Madeline spends a lot of time running from zombies, which may cause readers to get bored.   

The story’s format will appeal to young readers because it uses large text, short paragraphs, and simple dialogue that make the story easy to read. In addition, black and white illustrations appear approximately every five to nine pages. The illustrations add humor as well as help readers visualize the characters, who are a diverse group.  

The entertaining ending will leave readers with a smile, as well as frighten them away from eating lima beans. While Madeline isn’t a very interesting character, the librarian makes a repeat (albeit short) appearance, leaving readers wondering how she is connected to the creepy happenings in Wolver Hallow. Readers looking for a humorous zombie book will find The Lurking Lima Bean entertaining. But mystery-loving readers will be disappointed by the lack of clues to solve. Young readers looking for another silly zombie story should read Night of the Zombie Zookeeper by Andres Miedoso. However, readers who are ready for a more involved plot with more monsters should read The Last Kids on Earth Series by Max Brallier.  

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• The zombies chase Madeline and her friends. For example, “Grandma was only a few feet away, reaching for Madeline with handfuls of lima-bean paste. It seemed like half the town was behind Grandma, all staggering toward Madeline with bean paste and green eyes.” 
• To free people from the lima beans, Madeline and her friends throw snowballs at them. Gilbert “pulled back his arm and let a snowball fly. It hit Grandma right in the shoulder. Grandma shivered for a second, and hesitated. . .” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• When two kids begin following Madeline, she yells, “Back off, weirdos!” 
• Heck is used twice. 

Supernatural 

• Somehow, lima beans convince people to eat them. Afterwards, the people change into zombies with green glowing eyes. Madeline’s grandma turns into a zombie who tries to get Madeline to eat lima beans. When Madeline is ready to leave for school, her grandma comes “running down the hall after Madeline, green eyes boring into hers and a toothy grin still plastered across her face.” Madeline runs away. 
• In Wolver Hollow, “everyone knew that a troll lived under the bridge, and if you didn’t spit [while crossing the bridge], he would eat your toes in the night.” 

Spiritual Content  

• None