I am totally PRO-middle grade books where you can pick up the series in the middle and be just fine following along and not lost at all. This happened when I read Invisible Inkling: Dangerous Pumpkins by Emily Jenkins and also when I read Monsters On The March by Derek The Ghost and I just have to say THANK GOODNESS I do not have to take a lot of time out of my schedule to get all caught up on a series. Plus, I imagine that it’s nice for a middle grader to just be able to pick up a book. ANYWAYS, rant aside, I definitely thought Monsters On The March was pretty decent October Readathon material and I think it will also be decent Autumn reading material for actual middle graders.
Monsters On The March is the second book in the Scary School series and so I have no idea if I am giving spoilers because I haven’t even read the first book. Anyways, it’s basically a book written by a ghost, although I am pretty sure the actually writer is not a ghost in real life but A GHOST WRITER BAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry, I am so hopped up on the caffeine right now. In Monsters On The March, there is a new sixth grade teacher. The students at Scary School are a mix of humans and paranormal creatures. They are back from summer and find that oh, hey there’s a new teacher who is elephantine in form and cannot remember a thing. Derek The Ghost has been living at the school over the summer and is excited to have new things to write about. Anyways, the school ends up in a rift with the monster kingdom AND THERE ARE BATTLES y’all. And that’s pretty much the most in-depth I can get with the plot without spoiling.
I liked the large cast of characters, especially when a side plot or a chapter would specifically focus on that character. Like, for example, Petunia who has purple hair. She’s mad cool but doesn’t exactly fit in all that well. Or, this one character who knows he is a character in a book and gets all existential on us which is WAY awesome for middle grade. I thought that over all, Derek The Ghost was a competent narrator and interjects a bit of humor, but also makes for an exciting story.
As an adult, I thought Monsters On The March was a very quick read, what with the large print and pictures and all. It’s also fast-paced and doesn’t drag, but instead has a ton of action. The plot definitely moves along without ever getting boring. Plus, I was never confused as to the characters or what was going on. No eye glazing here, y’all. The tone is fairly light, I was never like UGH SO DEPRESSED while reading. I also laughed a lot while reading, because it is pretty humorous. This is more a Halloween-ish book for kids who are too chicken for horror, which is FINE.
What really enhanced my enjoyment of Monsters On The March were the pictures which are in almost every chapter. Scott M. Fischer is the illustrator and definitely brings some skills to the table. I loved being able to see what the various monsters looked like, especially the monster princess ha ha ha.
If you are looking to stock your library shelves or your classroom library with some Halloween appropriate reading, definitely add Monsters On The March by Derek The Ghost to your list. It is a zany sort of reading with fun characters and in all, a good time.
Disclosure: Received for review.
Other reviews of Monsters On The March by Derek The Ghost:
I Smell Sheep – “If you have a kid in middle school, you have to get this series for them!”
Imaginary Reads – “Boys will love this series for the action”
Word Spelunking – “Readers of all ages will be captivated by the humor, chills and fantastical setting”
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I’m liking the sound of this book and the unique way in which the chapters are handled. I think I’ll add this to my reading list. But even better than your reviews are your puns! OMG, I’m such a sucker for awesomely bad puns. JUST LOVE IT!
APRIL. I just can’t get into middle grade. Maybe I need to read BETTER middle grade books. But I do love quick reads and PICTURES (I’ve never grown out of loving the friggin’ pictures) so maybe I should check these out if I ever decided to participate in a readathon (WOOT, quick reads!)
I just booktalked this one to my seventh graders 🙂 Glad they can start with book two since book one is checked out 🙂
Glad you liked the book! Hopefully you’ll get to read Book 1 soon! It won a book award for Funniest Chapter Book of 2011! Book 3 will be out in June, so I hope you will continue to join us on our Scary School adventures! Thanks so much!