Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf
Deke Moulton
** spoiler alert **
I loved Deke Moulton's debut novel Don't Want to Be Your Monster. It was a strikingly original vampire story for middle grade readers with the Best Vampires Ever! I am therefore sorry to report that their second novel, Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf, a middle grade novel about Jewish werewolves, did not hit the spot for me in quite the same way.
I was surprised to learn that Jewish werewolves are a thing. In their Author's Note, Moulton reveals that this surprised them, too
I didn’t even know we had our own werewolf mythology. Or that Jewish werewolf myth is built upon lines from Torah, and that rabbis, thousands of years ago, built a midrash around it (Midrash is a biblical exploration, like rabbinical fanfiction).*
So that was fun -- in fact, I learned about a bunch of things I had not previously been familiar with before. That was the best part.
The problem was that, as a novel, it didn't really work for me. Our hero Benji somehow never really came into focus. Benji suffers from anxiety attacks, and, judging from the end matter, Moulton meant that to be an important facet of Benji's character, but I was barely aware of it as a distinctive trait -- that is, as something different from the anxiety everyone often feels.
Also, I found the story disappointing. It is, in unfairly sketchy outline: "Jewish community is pressured/attacked by bigots, then our hero makes everything all right with a Big Speech to one of the bigots." I couldn't make myself believe the "Big Speech solves everything" part.
Finally, for the Princess Bride question, "Is this a kissing book?"
Yes, yes it is.
I thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reader copy of Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf. This review expresses my honest opinions. Release date 2-Jul-2024.
*The quote is from an advance reader copy and may change before publication. If necessary, this review will be corrected on the release date.