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tacochelle's review against another edition
I only just remembered loving this as a kid. Forgot it existed. Might try to track down a copy to reread.
kraley's review
3.0
This was a very quick read that focuses on the two McFearless children who are out to rescue their father from an evil monster. I listened to this on audiobook and the illiteration got to be a little much for me. It was like the author heard about it and then couldn't use any other literary devices. BLEH! The title demonstrates this. I also don't care for books that use the words, fart, barf, etc. I felt it to be a juvenile, predictable story that young boys might enjoy, but I did not.
yrion's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alissabar's review
3.0
There are books written for children that cross that barrier and appeal to adults and children alike. This is not one of them. It is definitely written for children, especially if you are a kid that enjoys big, stinky, gross monsters, and fighting them. It's a fun adventure of a brother and sister that have to rescue their father from an evil monster. The photos in the book are great, and it also includes some detailed recipes using ingredients you can find around the house of concoctions that repel monsters. If you have a child that likes to experiment and they read this book, I'd keep an eye on them or you might just find a masterpiece in your kitchen or somewhere else.
bardicbramley's review against another edition
2.0
Okay this one was a /chore/.
I’m sorry but I didn’t enjoy this at all. I liked the concept, I loved the excerpts from the Monstranomicon with its gross spells and charms, I even didn’t hate the main characters!
But the actually story for me was predictable, even for a children’s novel. The plot felt dragged out, and the ending felt dragggggggged out even more! (I skim read the last 10 pages because I just wanted to put it down).
This story could have been much better put into a fully illustrated shorter novel or even picture book, and I think I would have much preferred it.
I’m sorry but I didn’t enjoy this at all. I liked the concept, I loved the excerpts from the Monstranomicon with its gross spells and charms, I even didn’t hate the main characters!
But the actually story for me was predictable, even for a children’s novel. The plot felt dragged out, and the ending felt dragggggggged out even more! (I skim read the last 10 pages because I just wanted to put it down).
This story could have been much better put into a fully illustrated shorter novel or even picture book, and I think I would have much preferred it.
miss_alaina's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would - mainly because the photos were so enjoyable. And I mean PHOTOS, not drawings, of the main characters and the many monsters they meet. It definitely made the story come to life!
tami_provencher's review
2.0
This is a mixture of styles that is vaguely unsatisfying overall. It definitely has some fun, exciting moments; however the monsters are mean & disgusting. It’s really one long monster battle: younger version Riordan’s RED PYRAMID-ish tales. Squeamish or easily frightened readers will be frightened/grossed out by descriptions. It has a loosely plotted feel to me—lots of empty space between moments that move the story forward. I don’t think the excerpts from the Monstramonicon add anything to the story.
cmbohn's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. The monster illustrations were fun and the photos were a cool idea. Good story.
victor_constantine's review
5.0
I have two opinions on this book. The first is that it's super amazing and is probably one of the best books ever. THe second is that it's not as great as I thought because I grew out of it. I think I read this book for the first time in fourth grade, but I don't remember for sure when it was. I read it once and loved it; then I read it again the next year. THe year after that I read it about once every three or four months, so in order to keep from getting sick of it, I didn't read it for a while. In January I randomly had the urge to read it again, so I got it from the library as soon as I could(I have the exact location of it memorized). To be honest, I just wasn't all that into it. I could still see what I liked about it (the cover, the pages about the monsters, the pictures on the sides of the pages, ect.) , but the stuff I thought was lame in a funny way before I now just see as silly. I still am giving it a five star rating because I think that perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it then. I definitely still count it as one of my favorite books, but I don't plan on reading it again anytime soon.