Reviewed by Helena Birbrower
Rating: High Four!
Who I'd recommend it to: Fans of the Percy Jackson series, The Girl Who Could Fly, The School for Good and Evil series, and the Half Magic series.
Synopsis (From amazon): When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch.
Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman before he brings Jacob’s nightmares to life. But when the monsters’ trail leads to her school’s big Halloween bash, Kelly will have to prove she can save the world--without totally embarrassing herself in front of her friends.
Rating: High Four!
Who I'd recommend it to: Fans of the Percy Jackson series, The Girl Who Could Fly, The School for Good and Evil series, and the Half Magic series.
Synopsis (From amazon): When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. But then Baby Jacob gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman’s minions and Kelly learns there’s a whole lot more to childcare than free snacks and Netflix. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch.
Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman before he brings Jacob’s nightmares to life. But when the monsters’ trail leads to her school’s big Halloween bash, Kelly will have to prove she can save the world--without totally embarrassing herself in front of her friends.
Thoughts: I finished this book in three days, and I really did enjoy it. I only chose this rating because I was not as invested in the characters and story as I have been with others. The main character was slightly annoying, and in some parts I found myself rooting for the villain. A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting is about an eighth-grader named Kelly who is earning money to go to a summer camp. She just wants to fit in with the crowd and calls herself invisible. She takes on many odd jobs, including babysitting. What she doesn’t know is that she has to be on her toes. In this story, monsters might actually be in the closet. This book has a dose of magic and monsters, and a sprinkle of realistic struggles. I really enjoyed how the author was able to include all kinds of conflict in the book and made sure it wasn’t black and white. There were layers in every page. The villain was not plain mean, he was classy and smart. The main character was not the stereotyped ‘hero’. There were bounds of growth in every character, and they were very unique.In summary, I liked this book. There is another book in the series, and more coming out if this seems interesting.
