- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Horror
Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales
Five gross-out horror-comedy tales from Emmy-winning writer Rob Kutner and cartoonist David DeGrand: booger demons, a soft-hearted vampire and a 2,000-year-old stepmummy, all funnier and more heartfelt than the title suggests.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length224 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr45 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Scary
- Absurdist
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Introduced by the World's Most Repulsive Storyteller, this middle-grade graphic anthology serves up five disgustingly hilarious tales of horror. A boy who skives off school 'sick' finds his escaped booger is the least of his worries when he uncovers the demonic Snot Goblins massing for war. A turn-of-the-century vampire who refuses to kill anyone travels from a Romanian village to America, a disappointment to his blood-drinking family. A dad remarries a 2,000-year-old mummy, the real Pharaoh Hatshepsut, and gains a stepmummy. Written by Emmy-winning comedy writer Rob Kutner and drawn in David DeGrand's gleefully grotesque cartoon style, the stories pile on the gross-out gags but smuggle in real warmth about family, difference and belonging. A perfect gateway for readers who love their comics equal parts funny, scary and revolting.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A gross-out horror-comedy graphic novel aimed at 8 to 12s, especially reluctant readers. The scares are cartoonish rather than nightmarish, but sensitive younger children may prefer to wait; there is no true bedtime calm here.
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Patchy
Works well for
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
1 / 5 · Wide awake
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Reluctant readers
- Loves gross out
- Horror comedy fans
- Graphic novel fans
Avoid if
- Dislikes gross humour
- Easily scared
- Wants gentle stories
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Booger demons, a vampire who won't bite anyone and a mummy stepmum: five silly-scary stories that lean hard into the gross-out but always land a proper punchline. DeGrand's cartoons make the disgusting bits gleefully fun rather than genuinely frightening.
- Trickery and cleverness
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
An Emmy-winning comedy writer packs each disgusting tale with actual heart, immigration, blended families, being the odd one out, so the gross-out reads pull reluctant readers in and leave something behind. Fast, funny and reliably re-read.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
