Lint Boy by Aileen Leijten ($23.99, Raincoast Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is a strange book.

A graphic novel about good versus evil, Lint Boy tells the story of Lint Boy and his brother Lint Bear who live in their cozy dryer home, carefree and happy, until the day Lint Bear is snatched away by a cruel woman with a vendetta against dolls. The story sees Lint Boy trying to unite a group of lost dolls to vanquish the villain and save his brother.

Being billed as “a Gothic, age-appropriate blend of Roald Dahl and Tim Burton “, the evil takes the shape of an old women who is convinced dolls move but can’t seem to catch them in the act despite the awful things she keeps doing to them. We also learn the back story of the old lady who, as a child, was a bully and liked “fixing” dolls. Think Sid from Toy Story.

The women’s nastiness increases as she ages, and the dolls suffer until Lint Boy comes to rescue Lint Bear.

The illustrations work perfectly with this story, and are a good a mix of weird and creepy. My eight-year-old son seemed to enjoy the story, and in particular liked the end when the dog gets his reward.

A copy of this book was provided by Raincoast Books for an honest review.