Mary McScary

Joining forces again following their 2015 collaboration on The Little Shop of Monsters, Goosebumps author R.L. Stine and Arthur illustrator Marc Brown are back with this animated adaptation of their 2017 picture book, narrated by Emily Eiden. Antagonistic Mary McScary "scares" her parents and others—including inanimate objects, such as a balloon—with mean looks and pranks, but she worries about being at the top of her game because she never seems to faze her cousin Harry. He’s actually a very genial foil for the pesky protagonist: every lame trick she poses, he responds in the most chill of manners, even ending up cuddling with a supposedly vicious hippopotamus. Mary wracks her brain to find a way to get to Harry, resulting in a goofy climax that is well-suited to the target audience. Also featuring a read-along option and a bonus behind-the-scenes featurette with Stine and Brown, this is recommended. Aud: E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)