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Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things are is a classic monster tale.

(Mom and Pop Culture's note: I know, long time and no Ask a Librarian. It's been busy both here at Family.com and at the libraries as they wrap up summer reading programs and prepare for the school year.) Is it just me, or has the world gone crazy for vampires? I think it's Twilight mania that's responsible for the influx of vampire books lining the young adult shelves, but when I got to thinking about it, books about monsters -- from the scaly green kind, to the classic horror picture types like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy -- have always been popular with the kid set.

I called Cathleen Bowley, of the Burbank Public Library (one of my libraries), for some answers to the following questions:

My kid can't get enough monster stuff. What books will be a hit?

Go Away, Big Green Monster, by Edward R. Emberly -- It’s "a classic." Kids love the die-cute pages they see the monster going away as they move through the book. (Toddlers to preschoolers)

Franny K. Stein series, by Jim Benton -- Start with book number one, The Lunch That Walks Among Us. The book features some interactivity, that Benton tries to work into all his tales. In an interview on Simon & Schuster's site, he says, "I added the interactive monster experiments to Franny K. Stein because I always enjoy monkeying around with these types of elements myself. I wish all books had little interactive things, even the phone book." Sounds good to me. (Good for independent readers, up to 5th grade)

Mercer Meyer books, including There's a Nightmare in My Closet and Alligator Under My Bed are good read-aloud books for preschool age kids and satisfying solo reads for kids in 1st and 2nd grade.

Where the Wild Things Are -- Bowley said her son, age 9, is still scared of this one but agreed Maurice Sendak's tale is a must for monster lovers. (Read aloud with preschool-age kids; read alone for young grade schoolers)

Goosebumps series, by R.L. Stine -- I almost don't need to mention this series, as they continue to be extremely popular, not to mention a great tool to get reluctant readers (particularly boys) knee-deep in R.L. Stine's riveting tales. (Good read-aloud for brave early readers; good for independent readers ages 9 to 12)

The Monster's Ring by Bruce Coville -- This is the first book in Coville's Magic Shop series about a shy boy tormented by bullies who buys a ring that turns him into, well, a monster. (Good for ages 9 to 12)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, by Rick Riordan -- "It’s the most popular thing in our library right now," said Bowley: The popular to-be-a-movie series features demons, monsters, battles, fantasy with some mythology thrown in. (Good for ages 9 to 12, though many teens will enjoy it, too.)

Thanks to Cathleen Bowley for her time and suggestions. In the comments, tell us what kinds of monster tales your kids like. Or, if you are looking for book recommendations, ask me in the comments, and I will track down a librarian to help!