THE WEIRDIES, by Michael Buckley and Forrest Burdett, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Aug. 26, 2025, Hardcover, $14.99 (ages 8-12)
Three very weird siblings have a chance at finding a real family in The Weirdies, by Sisters Grimm author Michael Buckley.
Ten-year-old triplets Barnacle, Melancholy, and Garlic Weirdie grew up in a town plagued by relentless meteor showers. Their home, Deadeye Manor, is an enormous, bleak mansion filled with hundreds of eccentric houseguests and one set of emotionally distant (some would say sociopathic) parents. Until the entire group of grown-ups goes on vacation, forgetting to bring the children.
The three siblings are sent to Our Lady of the Perpetual Side-Eye orphanage, where they meet Miss Emily, a sweet and loving caseworker who attempts to smooth their rough edges. The triplets, however, are truly weird—causing chaos and mayhem in their adoptive home on picture-perfect Sunshine Circle.
Will the Weirdies and Miss Emily become the family they all desperately need, or will it end in disaster for everyone? —Synopsis provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
The Weirdies is the first book in a new series written by Michael Buckley and illustrated by Forrest Burdett.
Along the vein of Series of Unfortunate Events, The Weirdies is told by “long-suffering narrator” whose tongue-in-cheek style is perfectly suited to her story’s eccentric cast of characters.
The story follows siblings Barnacle, Melancholy and Garlic who were accidentally left home alone when their parents forgot to take the triplets on vacation with them. The kids are decidedly weird and have some dangerous, if not disturbing, hobbies. They are the types of characters middle-readers will absolutely fall in love with — think Gru from the Despicable Me series.
It’s clear the Buckly had fun writing The Weirdies, crafting an absurd story with equally absurd tangents all juxtaposed against the “normal” world. And Buckly’s stylized black-and-white illustrations take the story over the top.
Kids who especially enjoy dark humor will get a kick out of The Weirdies. With pop culture references for all ages sprinkled throughout, the book is an enjoyable read-aloud, too.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
