Salem. Halloween. And all four March sisters are hiding the fact that they’re monsters.

Meg has always been a worrier, but this time she’s got a good reason. For one, she’s in foster care with her three younger sisters, Jo, Beth, and Amy. And the new neighbor boy, quiet, studious John Brooke, seems sure Meg is hiding something. 

The problem?

She totally is. 

Meg and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp, and no matter how many carrots she eats, they stay a little too pointy. Jo gets a tiny bit furrier under the full moon. Beth has a tendency to do some night flying on wings that are almost impossible to hide under her jumpers. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll spout an unmissable tail. 

Meg is sure her foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. 

Plus, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A sharp-toothed monster has been spotted in the forest outside of town, and Farmer Bhaer insists it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s actually a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the more sure the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest. 

To make matters worse, Meg can’t remember some nights. And some nights, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back herself. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding, and locals determined to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the monster herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.  

LITTLE MONSTERS is a modern remix of Little Women for a middle grade audience, about anxiety, sisterhood, and the magic to be found in self-love and self-acceptance. 

Coming summer 2026 from Aladdin!

Contact for more: mairerochewriter@gmail.com