Cool Ghouls Book Club

My one and only kid just turned 19, so I don’t read a lot of books for small people anymore. I received an ARC of The Part Mart by Bret Nelson and Pete Mitchell from Encyclopocalypse Publications, who described it as “body horror for kids”. Okay, you’ve got my attention.

This story is about a little girl who is unhappy with one body part and gets it replaced with robot parts at the Part Mart. Of course it does not end with that one replacement. I was immediately reminded of that episode of Futurama where Hermes gets one upgrade after another until there’s nothing of himself left. It’s a ship of Theseus thought experiment. It’s not a new theme by any means, but it’s always fun and thought provoking. Is it body horror? Maybe? I don’t think that distinction is important though.

I probably would have picked up this book for my kid. I enjoyed the illustrations. They’re child friendly without being overly cutesy. The story itself is not scary, but it is totally the type that will have people reflecting back on it as an early intro to body horror.